🔢 This free printable sudoku prints on a single page. The answer key sits in a small strip at the bottom — fold it backward along the dotted line before you start, and you can solve honestly without ever seeing the solution. A real challenge — high-school level reasoning and vocabulary recommended.
Fill the grid so every row, every column, and every 3×3 box contains the digits 1 through 9 exactly once. Fewer starting clues — sharper logic required.
7
3
8
9
6
8
1
2
6
5
3
2
4
2
4
1
9
5
3
8
9
4
6
3
4
8
7
3
2
7
3
✂ fold backward along this line to hide the solution ✂
Solution hidden on screen — it prints automatically.
Solution
1
2
5
4
7
9
6
3
8
9
7
6
8
5
3
2
4
1
4
8
3
2
1
6
7
9
5
5
9
7
1
3
2
4
8
6
2
4
1
7
6
8
9
5
3
3
6
8
9
4
5
1
2
7
6
1
2
3
8
4
5
7
9
8
5
4
6
9
7
3
1
2
7
3
9
5
2
1
8
6
4
How to Solve This Sudoku
This Hard grid starts with fewer givens on purpose — it's built to test technique, not patience. A good approach:
Map candidates before filling anything. On a Hard grid, it pays to pencil in every possible candidate for every empty cell first, rather than filling numbers as you spot them one at a time.
Watch for triples, not just pairs. Three cells sharing exactly the same three candidates — even if not every cell shows all three — let you eliminate those numbers from the rest of the group.
Re-verify each 3×3 box independently. It's easy to make an early placement error on a sparse grid. Periodically double-check that each completed box still holds every digit 1-9 exactly once.
Bring in pairs, triples, and box-line reduction and this grid falls into place without any guessing. Full method breakdown: our complete Sudoku strategy guide.
About This Puzzle
Hard Sudoku #2 is built for solvers ready to move past basic scanning — expect at least one stretch of the grid that needs a proper elimination technique rather than a lucky glance.