How to Solve Kakuro Puzzles

Kakuro puzzles, the cousin of sudoku puzzles, are brain teasers that look like crossword puzzles but use numbers instead of words. Kakuro is as much about using number combinations as it is about math, so you can solve the puzzles even if you aren't that great at addition. Follow the steps to learn how to solve kakuro puzzles.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Find a kakuro puzzle to solve. Look online at websites such as Kakuro.com (see Resources below), in newspapers or buy books of puzzles at a newsstand or bookstore.

2. Get a list of combinations where there is only one outcome from websites like Kakuro.com (see Resources below). This list of number combinations can help you narrow down the possibilities and make it easier to solve the puzzle.

3. Use clues for each horizontal or vertical run to fill in numbers adding up to the clue number. The object of the game is to fill in runs of numbers 1 through 9 in the empty boxes, making sure not to use duplicate numbers in each run. For example, two boxes with a clue of "6" can only be "2+4" or "1+5" because "3+3" is a duplicate and is not allowed in kakuro.

4. Begin with the clues with the fewest possible combinations, such as the clues with 2 or 3 squares. These are typically easier and quicker to solve and can help you solve surrounding clues.

5. Use intersections of clues to narrow your possibilities. If you must fill surrounding boxes with certain numbers, you may be able to decide which combinations fit best. Work the possibilities until you are sure the number fits in the box.

Tips & Warnings

• Make notes of possible numbers in the corner of the boxes to help you narrow the possibilities. Use a pencil when beginning to solve kakuro puzzles so you can fix mistakes.

Resources

• Kakuro.com