SudokuIQ puzzle
Solve a free cage-sum puzzle using standard Sudoku rules plus the total shown in each outlined cage. Every puzzle supports notes, hints, coaching and local progress.
Every row, column and 3x3 box must contain 1 to 9 exactly once. A cage total narrows the available combinations, but it never overrides those three units. Start by scanning for ordinary singles before doing cage arithmetic; a placed Sudoku digit often removes several cage combinations at once.
A two-cell cage totalling 3 must use 1+2, while a two-cell cage totalling 17 must use 8+9. Their order remains unknown until row, column or box evidence separates the cells. Mid-range totals allow more combinations, so write possibilities rather than committing to the first sum that works.
List only non-repeating combinations that reach the cage sum. Remove a combination when one of its digits already appears in the same row, column or box. A valid combination describes the cage as a whole; place a digit in one square only when the visible position proves its location.
The digits 1 through 9 total 45, so every completed row, column and box also totals 45. If cages cover most of a unit, subtract their totals from 45 to calculate the cells left over. This is especially useful when a cage crosses the edge of a box or line.
Imagine a two-cell cage totals 16. Its non-repeating combinations are 7+9. If one of those cells shares a row with an existing 9, that cell cannot be 9, so it must be 7; the other cell is therefore 9. The total identifies the pair, while the row restriction proves the order.
Scan normal Sudoku units, list cage combinations, apply existing digits, then check 45-rule opportunities. After every placement, repeat the cycle because the new digit may resolve another cage. If two arrangements remain possible, leave both candidates and move elsewhere rather than guessing.
Place 1 to 9 once in every row, column and 3x3 box. Numbers inside each cage must also add up to its displayed total.
A cage normally does not repeat a digit, which gives you an extra elimination rule alongside standard Sudoku logic.
Every complete row, column and 3x3 box contains 1 to 9, so its digits total 45. Comparing cage totals with 45 can reveal the value of cells crossing a unit boundary.
No. List every non-repeating combination that reaches the total, then use row, column, box and neighbouring cage evidence to eliminate combinations.
