Medium Clone Sudoku

Ready to sharpen your skills? Medium Clone Sudoku puzzles introduce interactions between the variant constraint and classic Sudoku techniques. You'll need to combine both skill sets to progress.

▶ Play Medium Clone Sudoku All Clone Sudoku Difficulties

What to expect at Medium level

Medium Clone Sudoku puzzles require you to combine the variant constraint with standard Sudoku deduction - Naked pairs, hidden singles, and unit scans. The constraint is more tightly woven into the grid, so you'll need to think a few steps ahead.

Best suited for players comfortable with Easy Clone Sudoku who want to build their pattern recognition.

Difficulty overview

LevelCluesTechniques neededAvg. time
Easy ManyBasic elimination5–10 min
Medium ModerateSingles, pairs10–20 min
Hard FewAdvanced logic20–40 min
Expert MinimalFull mastery40+ min

About Clone Sudoku

Difficulty
★★★★☆
4/5
Constraint Type
Clone Regions
Typical Givens
24–32
Avg. Solve (Medium)
22 min

Clone Sudoku marks pairs of regions (clones) on the grid. Each pair of clone regions must contain exactly the same arrangement of digits — if one clone has a 3 in its top-left cell, the other clone must also have a 3 in its corresponding cell. Clone constraints create powerful symmetry-based deductions that can resolve entire regions at once.

Solving Techniques for Medium Level

Technique Description Level
Clone Pair Deduction Any digit placed in one clone region immediately forces the same digit in the corresponding cell of the other clone region. Beginner
Constraint Propagation A clone placement propagates through standard row, column, and box constraints in both regions simultaneously. Intermediate
Clone-Box Interaction If both clone regions share boxes with heavily constrained cells, the clone constraint rapidly resolves entire boxes. Intermediate

Master these, then take on Hard Killer Sudoku to learn Advanced techniques.

Average Solve Time by Difficulty

Easy
10 min
Medium
22 min
Hard
42 min
Expert
72 min

Frequently Asked Questions

Must clone regions contain the same digits in the same order?
Yes — corresponding cells (same position within the region shape) must hold the same digit.
Are clone regions always the same shape?
Yes — clone regions in a puzzle are always identical shapes, just placed in different locations.