So, you've mastered the easy grids and are ready to push yourself with something more challenging. Medium-level Sudoku is where the real fun begins—it’s the perfect bridge between beginner puzzles and truly difficult grids.

In this article, we’ll share practical tips and techniques to help you confidently solve medium Sudoku puzzles and level up your game.

What Makes a Sudoku Puzzle “Medium”?

Medium puzzles typically:

Have around 30–34 clues
Require more logic chaining than basic elimination
Involve strategies like:

They demand a deeper understanding of patterns and solving flows but don’t require advanced methods like X-Wing or Swordfish just yet.

Tips to Tackle Medium Sudoku

1. Master the Basics (and Then Some)

Before going medium, ensure you’re comfortable with:

Naked Singles & Hidden Singles
Scanning rows, columns, and boxes with ease
Revisit our Top 10 Sudoku Tips for Absolute Beginners for a quick refresher.

2. Use Pencil Marks Effectively

In medium puzzles, you often need to track multiple candidate numbers. Use pencil marks to:

Narrow down possibilities in a cell
Identify potential Naked Pairs
Spot repeating patterns across units

Need help? Check our 5 Essential Sudoku Solving Techniques.

3. Look for Patterns

Medium puzzles are filled with hidden patterns. Watch out for:

Repeating number pairs across rows/boxes
Sudoku patterns like pointing pairs and box-line interactions

These can help eliminate possibilities and clear paths to progress.

4. Don’t Guess—Use Logic Chains

Guessing can lead to errors. Instead, try:

Candidate elimination by tracing logical chains
Identifying what must be true or false based on current values

See our post on How to Solve Sudoku Without Guessing for a deeper dive.

5. Practice with Purpose

Improve by solving:

Timed puzzles to build speed
Daily Sudoku Challenges
Easy Sudoku vs Hard Sudoku: What’s the Difference?

Each medium puzzle improves pattern recognition and teaches patience and persistence.

Example: Solving a Medium Puzzle

Let’s say you’re solving a puzzle and spot the following:

A box has only two possible locations for the number 7
These cells share a row with another box
That’s a pointing pair—you can eliminate 7s from the rest of the row

This is exactly the kind of logic you’ll use repeatedly at the medium level.

Keep Building Your Skills

Solving medium Sudoku teaches you to think critically and build chains of logic. Once you’re comfortable here, you’ll be well prepared for harder puzzles that require techniques like X-Wing, Swordfish, and more.

Continue Your Sudoku Journey

Try a new puzzle today and test your growing skills with our Medium Sudoku Collection!