Palindrome Sudoku

The digit sequence along a line reads the same forwards and backwards

What is Palindrome Sudoku?

Palindrome Sudoku marks lines on the grid whose digit sequence must be a palindrome — reading the same in both directions. If a line has cells A-B-C-D-E, then A=E and B=D, while C is the central digit. This creates pairs of cells that must share the same value, acting as powerful equality constraints across the grid.

At a Glance

Constraint typeLine Constraints
Typical givens20–28
Difficulty rating ★★★☆☆ 3/5
Avg. solve time — Easy7 min
Avg. solve time — Medium16 min
Avg. solve time — Hard32 min
Avg. solve time — Expert58 min

How to Solve Palindrome Sudoku

TechniqueWhat it doesLevel
Mirror Pair Identification In a palindrome of length L, cell i and cell L+1−i must share the same digit. Identify all mirror pairs before solving. Beginner
Centre Cell Freedom The central cell of an odd-length palindrome has no mirror constraint — it is only restricted by standard row/column/box rules. Beginner
Mirror Propagation Once one cell of a mirror pair is determined, immediately set its partner to the same value. Intermediate
Multi-Palindrome Intersection If two palindromes share a cell, that cell must satisfy both palindrome relationships simultaneously. Advanced

Average Solve Times

Easy
7 min
Medium
16 min
Hard
32 min
Expert
58 min

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the line read the same in both directions?
Yes — reading the digits from either end gives the same sequence. Position 1 = position N, position 2 = position N−1, etc.
Can all nine digits appear on one palindrome?
Only if the palindrome has 9 cells. But mirror pairs mean at most 5 distinct values can appear on any palindrome.