How Adults Can Actually Solve Sudokus
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Welcome to your quiet puzzle-break. If you’re an adult who’s picked up a Sudoku and thought, “Okay… now what?”, you’re in the right place. Let’s cut to the chase: Sudoku isn’t mystical. It’s logic + patience. And yes, you can improve.
1. Understand the foundation
At its simplest: a standard 9×9 grid, divided into nine 3×3 boxes. Each row, column, and box must contain exactly one of the digits 1-9.
Before you chase fancy techniques, make sure you’ve got that rule locked in.
2. Begin with the obvious moves
Look for cells where only one number is possible (“single candidate”).
Scan each row, column, and box for “missing numbers” and mark pencil-candidates if you like.
Use elimination: if a number can’t go in other cells, it must go in the remaining one.
Once you have the basics down, you can move to systems of thinking.
3. Level up your technique
Here are two solid YouTube/tutorials that adults can follow to move from “just filling boxes” to solving smartly:
4. Make a habit & refine
Adults succeed at sudoku when they treat it like brain-gym:
Set aside 10-20 minutes, consistently.
Don’t jump immediately into “hard” puzzles. Start with intermediate so you can practise technique without frustration.
Reflect after finishing: “What took me too long? Where did I hesitate?”
Sometimes pencil-marking matters. Other times clear-logic beats marks. Know your style.
5. Choose your tool-kit (books included)
No shame in using a book. In fact: using one with intent is precisely how this was done “back in the day.” For adults, books are great because you can pause, revisit, analyze.
Here are a couple of titles from the publisher CMH Publishing (they're puzzle books you’ll find online) that work well:
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Expert Puzzles for Adults: 200 Difficult Puzzles – CMH Publishing.
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To Go Easy Sudokus – CMH Publishing.
Using structured books like these means you’ll:
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Work through a set of puzzles of graded difficulty.
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See your progress (pages solved, time maybe recorded).
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Have a “real book” in hand, which many adult puzzle-solvers prefer over apps.
6. Solve with purpose
Because you’re not in it just for “kill time” (or you might be — but let’s aim higher).
Track your progress: time yourself, note when you guess vs. logically deduce.
Try to not rely on guesswork. Every guess is a missed opportunity to build your skill.
If stuck: back up. Sometimes you’ve made a subtle error — undo, revise.
Celebrate completion. Finishing a puzzle feels good. Let that feeling reinforce the habit.
7. Staying consistent, not perfect
You won’t solve every puzzle quickly. You’ll make mistakes. That’s fine. Traditional logic-puzzle folks knew this: skill comes from repeated, mindful practice.
Schedule a recurring slot: maybe after dinner, maybe early morning with coffee. Make it yours.