Sudoku Patterns

This page displays some interestingly patterned Sudoku puzzles.

Due to the large numbers of 17-hint puzzles that I have collected, they have been moved to a separate page with more suitable navigation.

17-hint puzzles

Each puzzle is guaranteed to have a unique completion, but may (or may not) need backtracking to solve.

If you want to play with these (ie actually solve them), then I have a very simple-minded helper application in early development. Just click "transfer to helper" to activate it.

Are these puzzles any good? In other words, would real Sudoku players enjoy playing them? Let me know on

gordon(AT)maths(DOT)uwa(DOT)edu(DOT)au

or post comments on the Sudoku forums.

X-Shape 17-Hint Squares Strangely Familiar Fertile Pattern Tso's Pattern I Moschopulus I Twins Symmetric 18 Ruud's Pattern

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Puzzles in the group X-Shape

Download them all

Number 1 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

4	+	+		+	8	+		+	+	6
+	8	+		+	+	+		+	3	+
+	+	9		+	+	+		2	+	+
+	+	+		5	+	3		+	+	+
7	+	+		+	2	+		+	+	8
+	+	+		8	+	9		+	+	+
+	+	1		+	+	+		7	+	+
+	3	+		+	+	+		+	9	+
5	+	+		+	6	+		+	+	4

Number 2 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

7	+	+		+	2	+		+	+	4
+	5	+		+	+	+		+	8	+
+	+	1		+	+	+		6	+	+
+	+	+		3	+	7		+	+	+
1	+	+		+	6	+		+	+	9
+	+	+		5	+	8		+	+	+
+	+	6		+	+	+		5	+	+
+	8	+		+	+	+		+	4	+
9	+	+		+	4	+		+	+	1

Number 3 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

9	+	+		+	2	+		+	+	1
+	8	+		+	+	+		+	3	+
+	+	6		+	+	+		5	+	+
+	+	+		3	+	5		+	+	+
8	+	+		+	6	+		+	+	9
+	+	+		1	+	8		+	+	+
+	+	3		+	+	+		6	+	+
+	4	+		+	+	+		+	5	+
1	+	+		+	7	+		+	+	8

Number 4 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

2	+	+		+	8	+		+	+	6
+	1	+		+	+	+		+	7	+
+	+	9		+	+	+		5	+	+
+	+	+		9	+	5		+	+	+
3	+	+		+	1	+		+	+	7
+	+	+		2	+	3		+	+	+
+	+	5		+	+	+		4	+	+
+	7	+		+	+	+		+	9	+
8	+	+		+	4	+		+	+	3

Number 5 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

6	+	+		+	3	+		+	+	4
+	7	+		+	+	+		+	1	+
+	+	8		+	+	+		2	+	+
+	+	+		3	+	5		+	+	+
3	+	+		+	2	+		+	+	6
+	+	+		1	+	8		+	+	+
+	+	2		+	+	+		7	+	+
+	1	+		+	+	+		+	8	+
4	+	+		+	9	+		+	+	5

Number 6 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

4	+	+		+	1	+		+	+	8
+	5	+		+	+	+		+	2	+
+	+	6		+	+	+		9	+	+
+	+	+		9	+	2		+	+	+
8	+	+		+	5	+		+	+	3
+	+	+		1	+	8		+	+	+
+	+	9		+	+	+		6	+	+
+	2	+		+	+	+		+	5	+
1	+	+		+	7	+		+	+	4

Number 7 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

7	+	+		+	2	+		+	+	5
+	3	+		+	+	+		+	6	+
+	+	1		+	+	+		4	+	+
+	+	+		3	+	6		+	+	+
6	+	+		+	1	+		+	+	9
+	+	+		4	+	7		+	+	+
+	+	4		+	+	+		3	+	+
+	5	+		+	+	+		+	1	+
9	+	+		+	7	+		+	+	8

Number 8 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

3	+	+		+	5	+		+	+	1
+	4	+		+	+	+		+	6	+
+	+	7		+	+	+		8	+	+
+	+	+		9	+	4		+	+	+
2	+	+		+	8	+		+	+	3
+	+	+		1	+	6		+	+	+
+	+	9		+	+	+		4	+	+
+	6	+		+	+	+		+	2	+
5	+	+		+	1	+		+	+	7

Number 9 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

3	+	+		+	4	+		+	+	2
+	1	+		+	+	+		+	6	+
+	+	6		+	+	+		8	+	+
+	+	+		1	+	9		+	+	+
6	+	+		+	8	+		+	+	3
+	+	+		6	+	4		+	+	+
+	+	5		+	+	+		9	+	+
+	8	+		+	+	+		+	1	+
4	+	+		+	2	+		+	+	6

Number 10 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

1	+	+		+	4	+		+	+	2
+	5	+		+	+	+		+	9	+
+	+	8		+	+	+		3	+	+
+	+	+		5	+	9		+	+	+
7	+	+		+	8	+		+	+	3
+	+	+		7	+	6		+	+	+
+	+	7		+	+	+		5	+	+
+	9	+		+	+	+		+	4	+
6	+	+		+	2	+		+	+	1

Number 11 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

9	+	+		+	7	+		+	+	4
+	1	+		+	+	+		+	5	+
+	+	8		+	+	+		2	+	+
+	+	+		8	+	9		+	+	+
7	+	+		+	4	+		+	+	6
+	+	+		2	+	7		+	+	+
+	+	3		+	+	+		1	+	+
+	2	+		+	+	+		+	8	+
6	+	+		+	9	+		+	+	7

Number 12 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

3	+	+		+	6	+		+	+	5
+	2	+		+	+	+		+	4	+
+	+	7		+	+	+		2	+	+
+	+	+		6	+	7		+	+	+
9	+	+		+	8	+		+	+	6
+	+	+		9	+	1		+	+	+
+	+	2		+	+	+		7	+	+
+	4	+		+	+	+		+	1	+
6	+	+		+	5	+		+	+	9

Number 13 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

4	+	+		+	1	+		+	+	9
+	2	+		+	+	+		+	3	+
+	+	3		+	+	+		6	+	+
+	+	+		1	+	6		+	+	+
5	+	+		+	9	+		+	+	4
+	+	+		2	+	8		+	+	+
+	+	6		+	+	+		2	+	+
+	3	+		+	+	+		+	8	+
9	+	+		+	2	+		+	+	1

Number 14 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

6	+	+		+	7	+		+	+	9
+	1	+		+	+	+		+	2	+
+	+	5		+	+	+		4	+	+
+	+	+		1	+	2		+	+	+
9	+	+		+	8	+		+	+	6
+	+	+		6	+	9		+	+	+
+	+	1		+	+	+		2	+	+
+	3	+		+	+	+		+	4	+
7	+	+		+	5	+		+	+	8

Number 15 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

7	+	+		+	8	+		+	+	2
+	5	+		+	+	+		+	9	+
+	+	1		+	+	+		3	+	+
+	+	+		7	+	9		+	+	+
4	+	+		+	6	+		+	+	7
+	+	+		4	+	5		+	+	+
+	+	9		+	+	+		5	+	+
+	8	+		+	+	+		+	1	+
2	+	+		+	3	+		+	+	8

Number 16 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

3	+	+		+	4	+		+	+	6
+	2	+		+	+	+		+	8	+
+	+	7		+	+	+		5	+	+
+	+	+		8	+	2		+	+	+
6	+	+		+	9	+		+	+	7
+	+	+		7	+	6		+	+	+
+	+	8		+	+	+		1	+	+
+	5	+		+	+	+		+	2	+
4	+	+		+	3	+		+	+	9

Number 17 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

6	+	+		+	4	+		+	+	3
+	1	+		+	+	+		+	7	+
+	+	5		+	+	+		8	+	+
+	+	+		5	+	2		+	+	+
3	+	+		+	9	+		+	+	2
+	+	+		1	+	3		+	+	+
+	+	8		+	+	+		9	+	+
+	7	+		+	+	+		+	5	+
2	+	+		+	3	+		+	+	4

Number 18 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

6	+	+		+	5	+		+	+	9
+	5	+		+	+	+		+	3	+
+	+	4		+	+	+		2	+	+
+	+	+		4	+	3		+	+	+
2	+	+		+	9	+		+	+	8
+	+	+		2	+	6		+	+	+
+	+	1		+	+	+		5	+	+
+	3	+		+	+	+		+	4	+
8	+	+		+	7	+		+	+	6

Number 19 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

1	+	+		+	7	+		+	+	6
+	5	+		+	+	+		+	8	+
+	+	4		+	+	+		3	+	+
+	+	+		1	+	5		+	+	+
2	+	+		+	8	+		+	+	1
+	+	+		6	+	3		+	+	+
+	+	1		+	+	+		7	+	+
+	3	+		+	+	+		+	5	+
6	+	+		+	1	+		+	+	9

Number 20 (transfer to helper)
(Transfer to Sudoku Solver)

3	+	+		+	9	+		+	+	7
+	2	+		+	+	+		+	5	+
+	+	7		+	+	+		8	+	+
+	+	+		3	+	4		+	+	+
1	+	+		+	6	+		+	+	3
+	+	+		7	+	2		+	+	+
+	+	4		+	+	+		2	+	+
+	8	+		+	+	+		+	4	+
9	+	+		+	3	+		+	+	1