How many cells does a Samurai Sudoku have?
A standard Samurai Sudoku has 369 cells (5 × 81 cells = 405, minus 36 cells that appear in two overlapping corners). The puzzle area covers a 21×21 grid.
Sudoku category
Samurai Sudoku organized for printable practice.
Samurai Sudoku features five overlapping 9×9 grids in an X formation. Shared corner boxes link the grids together — solving progress in one grid constrains adjacent grids, requiring you to track five puzzles simultaneously.
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Samurai Sudoku consists of five standard 9×9 sudoku grids arranged in a cross or X pattern. The center grid shares a 3×3 corner box with each of the four outer grids. All five grids must be solved simultaneously, using the shared boxes to propagate constraints across grid boundaries.
Start with the outer grids, using the shared corner boxes as anchor points. When you place a digit in a shared box, it affects both the outer grid and the center grid. Work outward from the shared regions to maximize the constraint propagation effect.
Samurai Sudoku is not a quick puzzle. Easy difficulty requires 30-45 minutes; Extreme can take 2+ hours. It is designed for dedicated solving sessions, not casual play.
A standard Samurai Sudoku has 369 cells (5 × 81 cells = 405, minus 36 cells that appear in two overlapping corners). The puzzle area covers a 21×21 grid.