--- title: "6×6 Sudoku: Rules and Tips for Beginners | Sudoku Flow" description: "How 6×6 Sudoku works: six rows, six columns and six boxes of 2 rows by 3 columns, with the digits 1 to 6. The rules, a worked example and tips." url: https://sudokuflow.com/guides/6x6-sudoku-rules/ language: en last_modified: 2026-11-05 --- [Sudoku guides](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/) # 6×6 Sudoku: Rules and Tips for Beginners How 6×6 Sudoku works: six rows, six columns and six boxes of 2 rows by 3 columns, with the digits 1 to 6. The rules, a worked example and tips. Updated 2026-11-05 ## Quick answer A 6×6 Sudoku uses the digits 1 to 6 on a grid of six rows and six columns, split into six boxes of 2 rows by 3 columns. Every row, column and box must hold 1 to 6 exactly once. It is solved just like a 9×9 with fewer squares, which makes it a good first step for children and for anyone new to Sudoku. - The digits 1 to 6, once in every row, column and box. - The boxes are 2 rows by 3 columns, not squares. - There are 28,200,960 different finished 6×6 grids. - The same steps as in a 9×9 work, with fewer squares to check. ## The rules Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every box holds the digits 1 to 6 exactly once. The six boxes are the blocks outlined in bold, two rows high and three columns wide. ## How it differs from 9×9 The rules are the same; only the size changes. Because the boxes are wider than they are tall, each row passes through two boxes and each column through three. Size changes a lot: there are 288 different finished 4×4 grids, 28,200,960 for 6×6 and 6,670,903,752,021,072,936,960 for 9×9. We counted the 4×4 and 6×6 grids ourselves; the 9×9 count was worked out by Bertram Felgenhauer and Frazer Jarvis in 2005. [The mathematics of Sudoku →](https://sudokuflow.com/encyclopedia/math/) ## A worked example This is the first Challenge puzzle from our printable 6×6 sheets, with 11 digits given. The 5 marked squares are the first moves a beginner would find, in this order: ```text 4 3 2 | 6 . 1 5 6 1 | . . . ------+------ . . . | . . . . 2 5 | . 3 6 ------+------ 3 5 . | . 1 . 2 . . | . . . ``` *6×6 Sudoku, Challenge 1: the first 5 moves are marked.* 1. **Row 1, column 3: 2**. 2 has only one place left in its box. 2. **Row 2, column 2: 6**. 6 has only one place left in its box. 3. **Row 1, column 2: 3**. 3 has only one place left in its box. 4. **Row 1, column 1: 4**. 4 has only one place left in its box. 5. **Row 1, column 6: 1**. 1 has only one place left in its box. [6×6 Sudoku for Kids: Printable Sheets →](https://sudokuflow.com/printables/kids/6x6/) ## Tips - Start with the boxes: with only six squares each, it is quick to see which digits are missing. - A row or column with four or five digits already in place usually gives the next move. - If a digit can go only in one row of a box, it cannot go anywhere else in that row. - Our printable 6×6 puzzles need only singles, so there is always a next move without guessing. - Ready for more? A 9×9 adds three digits, bigger boxes and many more squares to keep in mind. [How to Teach a Child Sudoku: 4×4, Then 6×6, Then 9×9 →](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/teach-kids-sudoku/) [6×6 Sudoku for Kids: Printable Sheets →](https://sudokuflow.com/printables/kids/6x6/) ## Practice Every Find the Mistake puzzle on this site has exactly one wrong digit, and you can play each board right on its page. [Play the puzzles →](https://sudokuflow.com/puzzles/) ## Sudoku guides - [How to Find a Mistake in Sudoku](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/find-a-mistake/) - [7 Common Sudoku Mistakes and How to Avoid Them](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/common-mistakes/) - [Why Won't My Sudoku Solve? A Checklist](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/sudoku-wont-solve/) - [Naked Single vs Hidden Single](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/naked-single-vs-hidden-single/) - [Pointing Pair vs Box/Line Reduction](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/pointing-pair-vs-box-line-reduction/) - [X-Wing vs Swordfish](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/x-wing-vs-swordfish/) - [How to Start a Sudoku: The First Five Minutes](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/how-to-start-sudoku/) - [Stuck on a Hard or Expert Sudoku? The Technique You Need Next](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/stuck-on-hard-sudoku/) - [Sudoku Tips That Actually Work (and Is There a Formula?)](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/sudoku-tips/) - [How to Teach a Child Sudoku: 4×4, Then 6×6, Then 9×9](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/teach-kids-sudoku/) - [Can Every Sudoku Be Solved Without Guessing?](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/solve-without-guessing/) - [Which Sudoku Techniques Do You Actually Need? 60,000 Puzzles Counted](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/sudoku-techniques-you-need/) - [How to Solve Sudoku Faster](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/solve-sudoku-faster/) - [Do the Diagonals Count in Sudoku? Diagonal Sudoku (Sudoku X) Rules](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/diagonal-sudoku-rules/) - [How to Solve Killer Sudoku: Where to Start](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/how-to-solve-killer-sudoku/) - [Jigsaw Sudoku Rules and How to Start](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/jigsaw-sudoku-rules/) - [What each Sudoku difficulty level asks of you](https://sudokuflow.com/data/sudoku-difficulty-levels/) - [Sudoku facts](https://sudokuflow.com/guides/sudoku-facts/) - [Sudoku checker](https://sudokuflow.com/tools/sudoku-checker/) - [Sudoku for kids](https://sudokuflow.com/printables/kids/) - [Find the Mistake Sudoku](https://sudokuflow.com/find-the-mistake/) ![Sudoku app icon](https://sudokuflow.com/assets/app-icon.png) ## Want more boards like this? We also make a Sudoku app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android. There are no ads in it at all, it works offline, and when you ask for a hint it shows you the technique instead of just filling in a number. [App Store iPhone, iPad, Mac](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6502922368?pt=125379530&ct=sudokuflow_web&mt=8) [Google Play Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rubigogames.sudoku&referrer=utm_source%3Dsudokuflow%26utm_medium%3Dweb%26utm_campaign%3Dsite) Sudoku Flow is made by Rubigo Games, the developer of the Sudoku app recommended on this site.