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Variant · 5 grids · Marathon

Samurai Sudoku — five grids, one mind

Five classic grids welded at the corners. Learn the solving order, then build the stamina this variant demands.

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Samurai is five boards like this one — sustained focus is the real skill. Native Samurai mode is on our roadmap.

Samurai Sudoku rules

  1. Five grids: a center grid plus four outer grids (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right).
  2. Classic rules per grid: each grid's rows, columns and boxes hold 1–9 once.
  3. Shared corner boxes: each corner box of the center grid is also a corner box of one outer grid — one set of nine cells serving two grids.

The solving order that saves hours

1. Center grid first. Its corners are fed by four grids at once, so singles appear there faster than anywhere else. Every digit you place in a shared corner immediately constrains an outer grid.

2. Ping-pong across the seams. When the center stalls, switch to the outer grid with the most information near the shared box. Work outward from the seam — the cells closest to the overlap resolve first.

3. Keep pencil marks disciplined. Across 405 cells, sloppy notes are fatal. Mark candidates only where a unit is genuinely constrained, and re-mark the shared boxes after every cross-grid placement. Our tips guide covers clean notation.

4. Finish the center last-ish. Counterintuitive but true: once all four outer grids are ~80% done, the center's corners are nearly solved by inheritance. Save the celebration lap.

Train for the marathon

Samurai punishes lapses, not ignorance. The training that transfers best is simply one classic board daily — five clean Medium solves in a row is a better Samurai workout than one frustrated Expert attempt. Sharpen the fundamentals on the strategy ladder first.

Keep exploring

All Sudoku variants · Jigsaw Sudoku · Diagonal Sudoku X · Killer Sudoku rules

FAQ

What is Samurai Sudoku?
Samurai Sudoku (Gattai-5) is five standard 9×9 Sudoku grids arranged in a quincunx — one center grid whose four corner boxes are each shared with one outer grid. Every grid follows classic rules, and the shared boxes must satisfy both grids at once.
How long does a Samurai Sudoku take?
Expect 45–90 minutes for a medium-rated Samurai, roughly the sum of five classic boards minus the shortcut the shared boxes give you. Beginners should budget two hours and treat it as a session puzzle, not a coffee-break one.
What is the best solving order for Samurai Sudoku?
Start with the center grid — its corner boxes carry information from all four outer grids. Alternate between the center and whichever outer grid currently has the most givens. Never solve one outer grid completely in isolation; the shared boxes are most valuable while both sides are unfinished.
Is Samurai Sudoku harder than classic Sudoku?
Longer, not deeper. The techniques are identical to classic — singles, pairs, pointing, occasional X-Wing. The challenge is working memory and stamina: tracking candidates across five grids without losing your place.
Do the overlapping boxes follow special rules?
Each overlapping 3×3 box is simply one box that belongs to two grids at once. It must contain 1–9 once (like any box) — the twist is that its digits simultaneously constrain a row in one grid and a column in the other, which is where the cross-grid eliminations come from.

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