🧠 22–26 given numbers
Expert Printable Sudoku
100 free expert puzzles for seasoned solvers who want the toughest grids on the site.
Expert puzzles need at least one top-tier technique: naked or hidden quads, Swordfish or a forcing chain (testing a two-candidate cell and following the consequences).
All expert puzzles
- 126 clues
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Puzzle guide
About expert Sudoku
What they are
Expert is our toughest Sudoku level: just 22 to 26 starting numbers and at least one top-tier technique needed to finish. Expect naked or hidden quads, Swordfish patterns spread over three rows, or a forcing chain where you follow what happens if a two-candidate square takes each of its values.
How to play
Expert grids reward patience. Build complete pencil marks, squeeze out every single and pair, and only then go looking for the rare patterns. A Swordfish works like an X-Wing stretched across three rows and three columns, and it can unlock a stalled board in one move.
Tips
Work in short sessions and come back with fresh eyes. Colour-code one digit at a time if you print the grid. When testing a forcing chain, write the trial in a different colour so you can undo it cleanly if it leads to a contradiction.
Who they suit
Expert puzzles are for seasoned solvers who finish hard grids comfortably and want a real fight. They are too steep for most children, though a determined teenager who enjoys logic will love the challenge.
Printing
Always print expert Sudoku one per sheet, at full size in portrait, so candidate notes stay readable. Keep the separate answer page face down until you are done.
Good to know
Expert Sudoku questions
Need a break from the numbers?
Try a hard riddle
Sudoku and riddles train the same muscle: spotting what must be true. Here are a few hard riddles with answers.