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Welcome to DailyPuzzles! Free daily brain games — Sudoku, Crosswords, Word Search & more. Sign up to track your streaks.

Thursday, April 2

Daily Samurai Sudoku

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How to Play Samurai Sudoku

lightbulb The Basics

Samurai Sudoku is an advanced Sudoku variant consisting of five overlapping 9×9 Sudoku grids arranged in a cross pattern. The total puzzle spans a 21×21 board with 369 playable cells.

Each of the five grids follows standard Sudoku rules: every row, column, and 3×3 box within that grid must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once. The challenge comes from the four overlapping regions where two grids share a 3×3 box — numbers in those cells must satisfy the constraints of both grids simultaneously.

The five grids are: top-left, top-right, center, bottom-left, and bottom-right. The center grid overlaps with each corner grid at one of its four corner boxes. These shared boxes are highlighted in purple to help you identify them.

touch_app Controls

Select a cell: Click or tap any empty cell on the grid. The cell highlights in blue, and its row, column, and box peers are softly highlighted.

Enter a digit: Use the on-screen numpad or press 1-9 on your keyboard. The digit fills the selected cell.

Erase: Press Backspace/Delete or tap the Erase button to clear the selected cell.

Notes mode: Toggle notes with the Notes button or press N. In notes mode, tapping a digit adds or removes a pencil mark for that cell — useful for tracking candidate numbers.

Navigate: Use the arrow keys to move between cells. The cursor skips over gaps automatically.

Hint: Tap the Hint button to reveal the correct digit for the selected cell (or a random empty cell).

join Understanding Overlapping Regions

The overlapping 3×3 boxes are the key to solving Samurai Sudoku. Each overlap is shared between the center grid and one corner grid:

  • Top-left overlap: Bottom-right box of the top-left grid = Top-left box of the center grid
  • Top-right overlap: Bottom-left box of the top-right grid = Top-right box of the center grid
  • Bottom-left overlap: Top-right box of the bottom-left grid = Bottom-left box of the center grid
  • Bottom-right overlap: Top-left box of the bottom-right grid = Bottom-right box of the center grid

A digit placed in an overlap cell must be valid in both grids. This means it cannot conflict with any row, column, or box in either the corner grid or the center grid. These dual constraints create powerful deductions that are unique to Samurai Sudoku.

speed Difficulty Levels

Easy

About 60% of cells are given. Straightforward deductions using single-grid logic and overlap constraints.

Hard

About 40% of cells are given. Advanced techniques like naked pairs and cross-grid elimination are needed.

Expert

About 33% of cells are given. Demands deep multi-grid analysis and complex chain reasoning across all five grids.

tips_and_updates Tips & Strategies

  • 1. Start with the overlaps. The four shared boxes have the most constraints (two grids worth), so they often yield the easiest deductions. Solving overlap cells early gives you footholds in both connected grids.
  • 2. Work outward from the center. The center grid touches all four corner grids. Completing parts of it cascades information to every corner.
  • 3. Use notes liberally. With 369 cells, pencil marks are essential. Note all candidates in overlap cells — when a candidate is eliminated in one grid, it's eliminated in both.
  • 4. Treat each grid individually. When you're stuck on overlaps, focus on one 9×9 grid at a time using standard Sudoku techniques (naked singles, hidden singles, pairs). Progress in one grid often unlocks the others.
  • 5. Cross-grid elimination. If you know a digit must go in a specific row of one grid, and that row passes through an overlap box, you can eliminate that digit from corresponding positions in the other grid.

emoji_events Tracking Your Progress

Every Daily Samurai Sudoku is timed. Your completion time is recorded on your profile where you can track your average time, best time, and current streak. Solve one each day to build your streak and unlock achievements.

Use the Archive button to revisit puzzles from previous days. Completed days are marked green in the calendar.

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