Variant Sudoku

Arrow Sudoku Rules Explained in One Short Example

0:18 · Arrows · Variant Sudoku

A circle holding 9 sits at the start of a three-cell arrow. 1, 3 and 6 add up to 10, which is too big, and 2, 3 and 4 add up to exactly 9.

Full lesson and practicePlay Arrow Sudoku

Transcript

  1. 0:02Digits on an arrow add up to the digit in its circle.
  2. 0:06The circle holds 9.
  3. 0:091 + 3 + 6 = 10. Too big.
  4. 0:122 + 3 + 4 = 9. The arrow works.

The rule

An arrow starts at a circle and runs across one or more cells. The digits on the arrow add up to the digit in the circle. Normal sudoku rules still apply.

Because the circle holds a single digit, an arrow can't total more than 9. That cap keeps arrow digits small and pushes circles toward the high digits.

Worth memorizing

  1. The circle is at least the smallest sum the arrow can make.

    Two cells in one box make at least 1 + 2 = 3.

  2. Long arrows force small digits: four cells in a box sum to at least 10, too big for one circle, so they must cross boxes.

  3. Some puzzles use two-cell “pill” circles, which read as a two-digit number.

Practice arrows in the lesson

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