What Is Sudoku?

Sudoku is a logic and number puzzle game where the goal is to enter numerical digits, 1 through 9, in each cell of a 9x9 grid. The grid is separated into 9 areas, which are called "regions", each consisting of 3 x 3 squares, similar to a tic tac toe board. The grid is pre-filled with some numbers already, these are called "givens."

Your goal in Sudoku is to complete each row, column and region with only 1 instance of each number 1 - 9. It sounds simple, but requires much thought, patience and logic.

The word "Sudoku" is actually an abbreviation of a Japanese phrase, "suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru", which means "the digits must remain single". The name "Sudoku" is trademarked by a Japanese puzzle publisher.

Sudoku is recommended by many teachers for helping students with their logic skills.