PUZZLE TECHNIQUES

TAKE FIVE SUDOKU TECHNIQUES

Learn techniques to solve Take Five Sudoku puzzles. When you know all our tips, then you are ready to try take five sudoku puzzles online.

As you know it is important that you only use logic to solve logic puzzles.

Let's take a quick look at the simple rules ot this sudoku variant. Each row and column of a take five sudoku has a clue of 5 digits. These digits must appear in that order but they don't have to be consecutively.

COMMON DIGITS IN FIRST OR LAST 2 POSITIONS

Look for common digits in the same box. In particular look at the 1st two or the last two positions of the clues:

• In columns 7 and 8 we find digit 4 as a common digit in the first two positions of the clues.
• So in column 9 digit 4 must be in the bottom box.
• Digit 4 can't be in cell A because the clue of row 7 (=41572) tells us that we need to have 4 digits behind digit 4.
• Digit 4 can't be in cell B because the clue of row 9 (=24356) tells us that we need to have 3 digits behind digit 4.
• So there is only one cell left for digit 4.

We have something similar when we look at row 2 and 3:

• In row 2 and 3 we find digit 6 as a common digit in the last two positions of the clues.
• So in row 1 digit 6 must be in the first box.
• Digit 6 can't be in cell C because the clue of column 2 (=71986) tells us that we need to have 4 digits in front of digit 6.
• So this leaves us with two possible cells for digit 6.

FIRST OR LAST ROW OR COLUMN

Look at the clue of the first or last row and compare with the clues of all the columns or the other way around. Below we look at the clue of row 9 (=21584) and search for a common digit that appears often in the clues of the columns.

We find digit 2. Now we will look for the possible positions of digit 2 in row 9.

• Digit 2 can't be in positions A because the clues of the columns have other digits behind digit 2.
• Digit 2 can't be in positions B because the clue of row 9 tells us that we need 4 positions behind digit 2.
• This leaves us with 2 possible positions for digit 2.

FORCE THE THIRD DIGIT IN THE FIRST OR LAST BOX

If we can't force the third digit of the clue in the first or last box, then it must be in the middle one.

In the last row we try to force 215 in the first box and 584 in the last box.

• In column 3 we have 27851 so 5 can't be in the last position.
• In column 7 we have 24956 so 5 can't be in the last position..
• So 5 is in the middle box.