Expert 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

Expert Greater Than Sudoku. The hardest puzzles on the site — inequality forcing chains and parity locks required. No guessing, no given digits.

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

What is Greater Than / Less Than Sudoku?

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

Solving Techniques for Expert 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
Inequality Propagation After placing a digit, check all inequality arrows from that cell and eliminate impossible values from its neighbours. Intermediate
Forced Single via Range When an inequality chain reduces a cell's valid range to a single digit, place it directly. Intermediate

Techniques to Master at Expert

  • X-Wing technique — Expert grids interleave chains so no cell bounds to a single digit — fish on 1 and 9 first, since the inequality lattice constrains the extremes most brutally.
  • Swordfish technique — Long inequality chains confine middle digits to matching columns row after row; expert greater-than endgames are usually broken by a Swordfish on 4, 5, or 6.

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 — Expert Greater Than Sudoku

Is expert Greater Than Sudoku the hardest level available?
Expert Greater Than / Less Than Sudoku is extremely challenging. With no given digits and a network of inequality signs as the sole constraint, every deduction must come from comparative logic combined with standard Sudoku elimination — there are no shortcuts.
Can you solve expert Greater Than Sudoku by guessing?
No. Every expert puzzle has a unique logical solution. Guessing in Greater Than Sudoku is especially risky because inequality chains propagate errors in both directions simultaneously, making contradictions appear far from their source.
What advanced strategies work for expert Greater Than Sudoku?
At expert level, use 'inequality forcing': assume a cell holds its minimum possible value and check if that leads to a contradiction through the inequality chain. If it does, the cell must hold a higher value. Also look for 'parity locks' where an inequality chain forces an entire row or column's worth of odd/even assignments.
How do I find the starting cell in a no-given expert Greater Than puzzle?
Look for the cell with the most inequality signs pointing toward it (it must be smaller than multiple neighbors) or the most signs pointing away from it (it must be larger than multiple neighbors). These extreme cells have the tightest value ranges and are usually where the solve begins.
How long does an expert Greater Than Sudoku take?
Expert puzzles take most players 70–100 minutes. If you make no progress after 20 minutes, revisit your range bounds for every cell — a single miscalculated minimum or maximum is usually the cause of the stall.

More questions? See the full Greater Than Sudoku guide.