Expert · November 13

Reference (range): 24 min 19 – 45 min 20

Elimination techniques don't have a measured cost yet — this time is a range, not a single figure.

Puzzle redoutable-01271

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

Expert sudoku pushes eliminations further: triples and quads, naked or hidden, then the X-Wing, the first pattern that links several rows at once. Here a glance is no longer enough: you have to reason on candidates.

Who this level is for

Expert suits players who are comfortable with pairs and want puzzles where pairs are no longer enough. It asks for rigor and patience: a puzzle is solved through a long series of eliminations, often subtle, that eventually free up a digit.

Notes are essential, and they must be kept up to date. A single wrong candidate can lead to a false elimination, and the puzzle then becomes impossible to finish.

The techniques you need

The techniques of the Hard level remain necessary. The Solvissima catalogue places five more techniques at this level: the Naked Triple, the Hidden Triple, the Naked Quad, the Hidden Quad and the X-Wing.

Triples and quads extend the logic of pairs: three or four cells of the same zone sharing exactly three or four digits lock those digits in. In the hidden version, those cells are the only ones that can hold those digits, so you remove their other candidates.

The X-Wing works on two rows and two columns: if a digit can only fall in the same two columns across two rows, it is eliminated from the rest of those two columns. Each technique has its own page, with a demonstration.

How to play here

This page gives you today’s Expert puzzle, renewed every day at midnight UTC. The board menu lets you load another puzzle of the same level. Hints and a check are available during the game.

Expert is one of the levels of the daily challenge, reachable from the leaderboard: a single timed attempt, whose time counts for the daily ranking, which requires an account. Expert puzzles can also be printed as PDFs.

Improving, or stepping back without shame

To improve, learn one technique at a time. The Learn page offers, for each one, a demonstration and then puzzles where it is needed. Recognizing a pattern in practice makes it much easier to spot in a real game.

If an Expert puzzle blocks you, going back to Hard is no setback. It is a way to consolidate pairs, on which everything else rests. Many players alternate between the two levels. When triples and the X-Wing no longer make you hesitate, the Extreme level is waiting.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a Naked Triple and a Hidden Triple?

A Naked Triple is three cells that together hold only three possible candidates. A Hidden Triple is three digits that can only go in the same three cells of a zone. Each technique has its own page on Solvissima.

Is Expert sudoku the same level as Redoutable?

Yes. On the French pages the level is called Redoutable, with the address /sudoku-expert. It is the same level as Expert sudoku here.

Do I need to know the X-Wing to finish an Expert puzzle?

The X-Wing is among the techniques the catalogue places at this level, so yes, a puzzle may require it. A demonstration is available on its page.

Does the Expert level count for the leaderboard?

Yes, Expert is one of the levels of the daily challenge. The daily ranking requires an account.