How to play
How to play Mini Sudoku
Mini Sudoku is Sudoku on a 6×6 grid: fill every row, column and 2×3 box with 1 to 6. Here are the rules, the two deductions that solve almost every puzzle, and three practice boards you can play right here.
Fill 1 to 6, once per row, column and box
The board is 6×6 and split into six 2×3 boxes (two rows by three columns). Every row, every column and every box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 6 exactly once. Some numbers are given; you fill the rest.
Tap a cell, then a number
Select a cell and tap a number on the pad or type it. Tap the same number again to clear the cell, or use Erase. The pad shows how many of each number are still missing.
Pencil in candidates with Notes
Turn on Notes (or press N) and the numbers you tap become small candidate marks in the cell. When you place a number, it disappears from the notes of every cell in the same row, column and box.
Look for cells with one option
Pick an empty cell and cross off every number already in its row, column and box. If only one number is left, it goes there. On easy puzzles this alone finishes the board.
Look for numbers with one place
Pick a row, column or box and ask where a missing number could go. If every cell but one already sees that number, it has only one place. Hard puzzles need this scan over and over.
Ask for a hint when stuck
A hint never guesses. It checks for mistakes first, then finds the next deduction, dims the board around the cells involved and explains it. Apply it or do it yourself.
Try it: three practice boards
1. What's missing?
Each row is missing one number. Find it and tap it in.
2. One option per cell
Twelve cells are empty. Every one of them has exactly one number that fits its row, column and box. Start anywhere.
3. Where does the number go?
This one starts with a "one place" step: pick a box, ask where a missing number can go, and the board opens up. Use a hint if you want the reasoning spelled out.
The deductions, in order
| Technique | What it means |
|---|---|
| One option (naked single) | A cell whose row, column and box already contain five of the six numbers: the sixth goes there. |
| One place (hidden single) | A number that fits only one cell of a row, column or box, because every other cell there already sees it. |
| Pair | Two cells in a unit that can only hold the same two numbers own them: those numbers come off the other cells' notes. |
| Pointing | If every possible spot for a number inside a box lies in one row, that row's other cells can't hold it (and the same for columns, and the reverse from a line into a box). |
| X-wing | A number limited to the same two columns in two rows can be removed from those columns elsewhere. Rare on a 6×6, but Expert puzzles use it. |
Strategy tips
- Boxes first. A 2×3 box with four givens has two empty cells and two missing numbers: often one of them is forced immediately.
- Count the number, not the cell. When cells look open, switch to asking "where can the 3 go in this row?"
- Notes on Hard and Expert. Write candidates in the open cells; pairs and pointing jump out once the notes are in.
- Red hatching means a rule is broken right now. Two of the same number see each other. Fix it before continuing.
- Hints teach. Read the sentence before pressing apply; the same step will be yours next time.
Daily, unlimited and archive
Every day at local midnight there is one new puzzle. Difficulty follows the week:
| Day | Puzzle |
|---|---|
| Monday | 6×6 · Easy |
| Tuesday | 6×6 · Easy |
| Wednesday | 6×6 · Medium |
| Thursday | 6×6 · Medium |
| Friday | 6×6 · Hard |
| Saturday | 6×6 · Hard |
| Sunday | 6×6 · Hard |
Solve the daily to extend your streak. Unlimited serves puzzles in four difficulties with no limit, and the archive keeps every past day playable.
How is this different from LinkedIn Mini Sudoku?
The rules and the 6×6 format are the same. LinkedIn publishes one hand-made puzzle a day with no archive and no unlimited mode. Puzzlune generates and grades its own puzzles, gives you a daily plus unlimited mode and a free archive, explains every hint, and works in light and dark mode. Puzzlune is not affiliated with LinkedIn or Nikoli.