Medium Samurai Sudoku

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

▶ Play Medium Samurai Sudoku All Samurai Sudoku Difficulties

What to expect at Medium level

Medium Samurai 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 Samurai 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 Samurai Sudoku

Difficulty
★★★★★
5/5
Constraint Type
5 Overlapping Grids
Typical Givens
~30 per sub-grid
Avg. Solve (Medium)
90 min

Samurai Sudoku consists of five interlocking 9×9 grids arranged in an X shape — one central grid and four corner grids, all sharing a 3×3 box where they overlap. Each of the five sub-grids must independently satisfy standard Sudoku rules. Solving one sub-grid often provides clues that unlock another. The complete puzzle spans a 21×21 grid.

Solving Techniques for Medium Level

Technique Description Level
Sub-Grid Independence Each of the five 9×9 sub-grids satisfies standard Sudoku rules independently. Solve each one using all standard techniques. Beginner
Overlap Box Exploitation The four corner boxes where sub-grids meet are shared between two grids. Any digit placed in a shared box eliminates that digit from two sub-grids at once. Intermediate
Cross-Grid Cascade Completing a corner box in the central grid forces values in the corresponding corner grid's box, which may cascade further through that grid. Intermediate

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

Average Solve Time by Difficulty

Easy
45 min
Medium
90 min
Hard
150 min
Expert
240 min

Frequently Asked Questions

How many sub-grids are there?
Five: one central grid and four corner grids, all arranged in an X or plus shape.
How many cells are in a Samurai puzzle?
369 valid cells total — five 9×9 grids with four shared 3×3 corner boxes subtracted.