Easy Greater Than Sudoku

Inequality signs between cells show which is larger. No given digits — all placements are deduced from the signs alone.

Easy Medium Hard Expert

New to Greater Than Sudoku? Each sign points toward the smaller cell — find the 1s and 9s first, as they have the most restricted neighbors. Start here.

3
2
9
8
4
5
2
3
6
7
2
3
1
8
6
1
4
4
9
7
3
4
2
6
5
8
3
7
1
3
1
7
2
7
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9
∨ › ∧ ∨ ‹ ‹ ∨ › ‹ ‹ ∧ ‹ › ∧ › › ∨ ∧ ∨ ∧ ‹ ∧ ∨ ∨ ‹ ∨ ∧ ‹ ‹ ∧
Mistakes
0/3
Score
-
Time
00:00
Try Medium Greater Than Sudoku →
Progress0%

What is Greater Than / Less Than Sudoku?

Difficulty
★★★☆☆
3/5
Constraint Type
Cell Relationships
Typical Givens
18–24
Avg. Solve (Easy)
7 min

Solving Techniques for Easy Level

Technique Description Level
Chain Inequality — Minimums Link inequalities in a chain: if A > B > C, then A ≥ 3, B ≥ 2, C ≥ 1. Use these minimums to prune candidates immediately. Beginner
Chain Inequality — Maximums In the chain A > B > C > D, also bound from above: A ≤ 9, B ≤ 8, C ≤ 7, D ≤ 6. Beginner

Ready to go deeper? Try Medium Greater Than / Less Than Sudoku to unlock Intermediate techniques.

Techniques to Master at Easy

  • Last Possible Number technique — Inequality chains bound cells from both sides — in A > B > C the middle cell is already 2–8 before Sudoku rules apply, and longer chains squeeze harder.
  • Notes in Sudoku — Record a min and max for every cell, not candidate lists: each inequality sign tightens one bound, and a cell whose bounds meet is solved.

Average Solve Time by Difficulty

Easy
7 min
Medium
16 min
Hard
32 min
Expert
58 min
Want a full walkthrough of rules, strategies, and solving steps? How to Play Greater Than / Less Than Sudoku →

Related Variants

Kropki Sudoku

Refines your adjacent-cell reasoning with exact relationships — difference of 1 and ratio of 2 instead of plain order.

XV Sudoku

Adjacent pairs constrained by sums rather than order, with a negative constraint on every unmarked edge.

Odd / Even Sudoku

Another value-property variant: parity shading halves candidates the way your inequality chains bound them.

Frequently Asked Questions — Easy Greater Than Sudoku

What is Greater Than Sudoku?
Greater Than Sudoku (also called Less Than Sudoku) places inequality signs between adjacent cells. Each sign points from the larger cell to the smaller one: if A › B, then A is greater than B. Standard Sudoku rules for rows, columns, and 3×3 boxes still apply.
How do I read the inequality signs in Greater Than Sudoku?
The sign › points toward the smaller value. So if you see A ‹ B, then A is less than B. Vertical signs work the same way: ∧ points up toward the smaller cell (the cell above is smaller), and ∨ points down toward the smaller cell (the cell below is smaller).
What cells can hold the digit 1 or 9 in Greater Than Sudoku?
The digit 1 can only appear in a cell that is on the smaller side of all its inequality signs (every neighbor that has a sign must be greater than this cell). The digit 9 can only appear in a cell that is on the larger side of all its inequality signs. Start by scanning for cells that can only hold 1 or 9.
How do I start solving an easy Greater Than puzzle?
Find cells that are pointed at by multiple › signs from different neighbors — these cells are smaller than all those neighbors and have a small value range. Similarly, cells that point › at multiple neighbors must be large. Use these anchor cells to start a chain of deductions.
How is Greater Than Sudoku different from regular Sudoku?
Regular Sudoku gives you digit values as clues. Greater Than Sudoku gives you relational clues (inequalities) instead. This changes the solving approach entirely: instead of direct digit placement, you work by narrowing value ranges and using comparative elimination.

More questions? See the full Greater Than Sudoku guide.