Sudoku Marathon
Sudoku Marathon is a sudoku variation with four overlapping sudoku grids. Sometimes also called gattai-4. Here’s an example:
Understanding Sudoku Marathon
In this article we’ll help you mastering sudoku marathon puzzles. We assume you understand how to solve the regular sudoku puzzles, and help you with easy methods to solve sudoku marathon. The first step is to understand how the grids overlap. We’ll use colors to analyze the overlapping grids:
Compared to some other sudoku variations, this Sudoku Marathon is easy: There are some regions where two grids overlap, but no regions where three or four grids overlap. Once you understand how they are constructed, sudoku marathon can be solved just like regular sudokus.
In the image you see four grids green (1), yellow (2), red (3) and dark green (4). We’ve indicated the overlapping regions with blue squares and the letter “A”. There are four areas where grids overlap:
- Green (1) and Yellow (2) grid
- Green (1) and Red (3) grid
- Yellow (2) and Dark Green (4) Grid
- Red (3) and Dark Green (4) Grid
Only four different regions that have overlap between the grids. In the following paragraphs we’ll show you how to apply the clues in the different areas
How to solve Sudoku Marathon puzzles
One of the basic solving techniques for sudoku Marathon is to mark the different grids with a colored pencil, to help you see the “line of sight” or the “neighbors” of each clue.
Solving Sudoku Marathon – Example 1
In this first example you see a clue (the number “3”) that is part of the green grid (1) at the top, but not part of the other grids.
This “3” can only be ‘seen’ by cells in the same grid (green grid 1). The green arrows show which cells are direct ‘neighbors’ of the “3”. These cells cannot contain the “3”.
(Note: we didn’t indicate the small 3×3 region that surrounds the “3”. The usual Sudoku rules apply here.
Solving Sudoku Marathon- Example 2
This next example shows the “7”, which is only part of the green grid (1). At first sight you may think it’s part of other grids too, because it’s just between the border between grids 2 and 3.
This “7” only has neighbors inside the green grid (1) when you try to solve the sudoku.
Even though some neighbors may be part of other grids (2 and 3) as well, the “7” doesn’t have neighbors outside the green grid (that’s where the green grid lines can help you).
Solving Sudoku Marathon – Example 3
In this last example we have chosen the “2” that is part of two different grids: The yellow grid (2) and the dark green grid (4).
That means that the “2” cannot appear in the same row in the yellow grid (2) or the red grid (3), and the “2” can also not appear in the same column in the yellow grid (2) or the red grid (3). We’ve indicated this with lines in the color of the grids.
Additionally, the “2” cannot occur anywhere else in the small 3×3 region, which is the common sudoku rule.
Create Sudoku Flower Puzzles
We hope this article helps you with mastering sudoku marathon puzzles. If you need more puzzles, Sudoku Marathon is part of our Sudoku Multidokus 1 module in Puzzle Maker Pro.
You can test drive this module in our Free Demo version of Puzzle Maker Pro.
An overview of all modules and sudoku types can be found on the Sudoku Products page.
