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Printable expert Sudoku puzzles

Around 26 givens, close to the practical floor for a board with a single solution. One per page is the only sensible layout — you will need every square millimetre for candidates.

One per page, and use a pencil

An expert board needs a complete candidate map before any of the interesting patterns become visible, which means writing up to nine small digits into a single cell. That is not possible on a grid printed two to a page, so this page defaults to one and it is worth leaving it there.

Expect an hour rather than twenty minutes, and expect at least one stretch where the grid looks finished with itself. It is not — every board here has exactly one solution.

Seventeen is the floor

It was proved by exhaustive computer search in 2012 that no Sudoku with 16 or fewer givens can have a unique solution. Expert boards sit above that, but not by an enormous margin, which is why an early mistake is so expensive here: there is far less redundant information to contradict you when you go wrong.

Nothing is uploaded, and there is nothing to sign up for

The puzzles are generated in your browser the moment you open the page, and printing uses your own print dialog. There is no download endpoint, no email wall and no watermark. Hit New sheet as many times as you want — every press is a different set of boards.

Every puzzle has exactly one solution

Cells are removed one at a time and any removal that would leave the grid with two valid answers is put back. That matters more on paper than on screen: there is no undo on a printed sheet, so a puzzle that turns out to have two answers wastes the whole solve. The answer key on the second page is the real solution, not one of several.

Frequently asked questions

How difficult are expert printable Sudoku puzzles?

Around 26 givens, close to the practical floor for a board with a single solution. Expect an hour rather than twenty minutes, and expect at least one stretch where the grid appears to be finished with itself.

Why does this page default to one puzzle per page?

An expert board needs a complete candidate map before the useful patterns become visible, which can mean writing up to nine small digits into a single cell. That is not possible on a grid printed two to a page.

What is the fewest clues a Sudoku can have?

Seventeen. Exhaustive computer search proved in 2012 that no Sudoku with 16 or fewer givens has a unique solution. Expert boards sit above that floor, but not by a wide margin — which is why an early mistake is so costly here.

Are they solvable without guessing?

Yes. Every board has exactly one solution and therefore a complete chain of deductions. The difficulty is finding it, not whether it exists.

Keep reading

Or play without the printer

The same generator runs a full board in your browser, and Action Sudoku puts a real opponent on it. Free on iOS and Android.