Apparatus and method to solve sudoku

A method to solve a sudoku puzzle comprising the steps of:

• A. Providing a sudoku puzzle to be solved having setup identifiers in some of its cells;
• and an apparatus to solve sudoku comprising a gameboard and a plurality of tokens;
• said gameboard comprising:
• a plurality of horizontally disposed rows and vertically disposed columns organized into a grid;
• said grid comprising a plurality of boxes;
• each said box comprising a plurality of cells;
• means to distinguish each said box from other said boxes;
• said tokens being divided into groups, one said group of tokens corresponding to each said box, means to associate each said group of tokens with one said box, a number of tokens in each said group equaling a number of cells in a box with which said group of tokens is associated, each said token comprising a token identifier to distinguish said token from other said tokens in its group, a token setup side, and a token playing side, and means to distinguish between said token setup side and said token playing side;
• and
• B. Performing a setup step by emplacing one said token, setup side up, in each gameboard cell corresponding to a cell in said sudoku puzzle to be solved with contains a setup identifier, each said token thus emplaced having a token identifier same as the setup identifier in the corresponding cell in the sudoku puzzle to be solved, each token thus emplaced being emplaced in the box with which said token is associated.

A method to solve a sudoku puzzle comprising the steps of:

• A. Providing a sudoku puzzle to be solved;
• and an apparatus to solve sudoku comprising a gameboard and tokens, said gameboard comprising a 9×9 sudoku grid divided into nine rows, nine columns, nine 3×3 boxes of nine cells each, each said box bearing a unique color, a row identifier associated with each said row, a column identifier associated with each said column;
• said tokens being divided into nine groups of nine tokens each, a color on each said group of tokens substantially the same as the color of one said box with which such group of tokens is associated, the nine said tokens within each said group bearing a token number ranging between 1 and 9 respectively on a token setup side and a token playing side;
• and
• B. Performing a setup step by emplacing one said token, setup side up, in each gameboard cell which corresponds to a setup cell in said sudoku puzzle to be solved containing a setup number, each said token thus emplaced having a token number same as the setup number in the sudoku puzzle cell corresponding to the gameboard cell in which the setup token is emplaced.