Sudoku Sensei
Sudoku Sensei is a sudoku variation with two overlapping sudoku grids. In this article we’ll show you the basic Sudoku Sensei solving methods. We assume you understand the beginner sudoku solving techniques for regular sudokus (e.g. Sudoku 9×9 Standard) and focus on the Sudoku Sensei tips and tricks.
Sudokus with overlapping grids may be confusing at first. Once you understand how they are constructed, they can be solved just like regular sudokus.
In the image you’ll see a red square and a green square. These are two sudoku grids that can be solved almost separately.
There’s one small (blue) region that’s part of both squares, this area contains clues for both grids.
Easy Sudoku Sensei Strategies
In this example below you see a clue that is part of the red grid, but is outside the green grid.
The “8” can only be ‘seen’ by cells in the red grid. The blue arrows show which cells are direct ‘neighbors’ of the “8”. These cells cannot contain the “8”.
(Note: we didn’t indicate the small 3×3 region that surrounds the “8”. The usual Sudoku rules apply here.
Using the overlapping areas is one of the key sudoku sensei solving methods.
The same rules apply for the numbers in the Green grid.
The “1” only has direct neighbors in the green grid.
And also the “9” and “1” in the top row of the green grid are not part of the red grid. They only have neighbors in the green grid (and in the overlapping 3×3 region)
In this image, the “6” is part of both the red grid and the green grid. The numbers that are in the small area where both grids overlap, have neighbors in both grids.
In the case of the “6”, there cannot be a “6” in the same column in the red grid, or in the same column in the green grid. Neither can there be another “6” in the same row in the red grid or the green grid.
When you solve this sudoku, you’ll apply the “6” as a clue to both the red grid and the green grid.
Create Sudoku Sensei Puzzles
Sudoku Sensei is part of our Sudoku Multidokus 2 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.
