Sudoku Solver – Using Excel Formulas

Hi All

My name is Sreejith A Menon. I would like to share with you my excel template for solving the Sudoku puzzle

Sudoku is an amazing logical grid with 9 boxes which are further divided into 9 smaller squares where in a few squares will be filled in with certain numbers from one to nine. The challenge of this puzzle is to complete the rest of the squares by inputting numbers one to nine in such a way that every number appears once in each horizontal line, vertical line, and a box.

It usually takes intricate estimation and reasonable evaluation to flawlessly determine the solution for this puzzle.

There are various experts who have defined numerous techniques to explain and solve this puzzle. There are also different Sudoku solving applications and spreadsheets available today. Most of the spreadsheets use VBA to crack it, anyhow the templates deploying Excel formulas for this purpose are very rare.

I have designed a spreadsheet solely relying on Excel Formulas to resolve this brainteaser. The technique adopted for this is also facile which I believe so far were not envisaged by Sudoku Solvers.I just followed these simple 5 steps.

(1) Identify all the blank squares.

(2) List all the probable numbers which could be inputted into those blank squares after considering the numbers in their corresponding horizontal lines, vertical lines, and boxes(9*9 square grid) .

(3)Review all the boxes one by one and determine the particular numbers which are only repeated once in those boxes.

(4)Fill in those numbers in the respective blank squares where they were displayed.

(5)After completing step(4) use this updated grid as the base and repeat the same process. Reiterate these 4 steps till all the squares are fully filled in with the numbers.

Much complex excel formulas were not used for converting this to concept into a spreadsheet.

Please find attached the link for the spreadsheet and 90% of the Sudoku puzzles could be easily solved using this template.

On the above file click on icon in the right extreme (View Full Size Workbook) and then click the “download option after that in the saved workbook just type the puzzle in the paste section and the solution will be displayed in the solution table.

Please use this link to download the file in case you cannot download the file from the above version.

https://1drv.ms/x/s!AgUVQrXwAudcgQMRc12OwaMD8iTg

 

Hope you find it helpful. All your valuable feed backs are welcome.