What is SudoCut?
SudoCut is an original puzzle concept: a completed 9×9 Sudoku grid, sliced into shaped pieces, with the solver's job being to put it back together using number logic alone — not shape, not picture.
The idea
Jigsaws use a picture. Sudoku uses a grid. SudoCut asks a different question: what if the puzzle had neither a picture to guide you nor a fixed grid to fill — just pieces carrying numbers from a valid Sudoku, and the Sudoku rules themselves to tell you where everything belongs?
That intersection — shape as constraint, number as signal — is what makes SudoCut a genuinely new kind of puzzle. It looks like a jigsaw. It plays like Sudoku. It is neither.
How it differs from its cousins
| Puzzle | Guides placement via | Numbers used? | Shape used? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Sudoku | Number logic (fixed grid) | ✓ yes | — fixed 9×9 |
| Jigsaw puzzle | Picture + edge shape | — none | ✓ yes |
| Jigsaw Sudoku | Number logic (irregular regions, fixed grid) | ✓ yes | regions only |
| SudoCut | Number logic (free placement) | ✓ primary | ✓ as constraint |
In SudoCut, you do not know where each piece belongs until the numbers tell you. The shape narrows your options; the numbers make the final call. Neither is sufficient alone.
Three play modes
Independent of difficulty, every puzzle offers three modes that control how much help you get:
Training sorts the piece tray by position — top-left piece first, bottom-right last. The search problem disappears so you can focus entirely on understanding the number logic. Best for learning how the mechanics work before the full challenge kicks in.
Guided pre-places one anchor piece — the piece that occupies the top-left corner of the grid — so you always have a fixed reference point to reason from. It does not tell you where anything else goes; it just removes the cold-start problem of staring at a completely empty board.
Classic starts with an empty grid and every piece in the tray. This is the intended experience — pure deduction from the very first move.
Mode and difficulty are fully independent axes. A Hard / Guided puzzle is still a formidable challenge. An Easy / Classic is a clean introduction. Switch modes at any time; switching starts a fresh puzzle.
Three ways to suffer (or enjoy)
Easy uses rectangular pieces — larger, no rotation, forgiving. The shape alone already eliminates most wrong positions, so you're learning to read the number signals without being overwhelmed.
Medium introduces L-shapes, T-shapes, and rotation. Suddenly shape helps less: an L-piece can go in eight orientations, so the numbers have to work harder.
Hard uses small, arbitrary polyominoes with no piece ID labels and no rotation hints. Every piece looks like every other piece could go anywhere. Only the numbers tell you the truth. This is the intended endgame.
What's coming
Drag-and-drop, tap-to-place, rotation, undo, hints, training mode, save/restore.
PDF puzzle books in all three difficulty tiers, printable and cuttable at home.
One new SudoCut per day, with a shareable result — a Wordle-style daily habit.
Compete on solve time within a difficulty tier. Weekly ranked puzzles.
Native app with offline play, haptic feedback, and push notifications for the daily puzzle.
Contact
Questions, press enquiries, or just want to talk puzzles? Reach us at [email protected] or use the feedback form.
SudoCut is an independent puzzle project. Made with care and a mild obsession with logic.