Mini Sudoku is exactly what it sounds like: sudoku on a 6×6 grid. Six rows, six columns, six boxes of 2×3, digits one through six, each appearing once per row, column and box. LinkedIn added it to the games line-up in 2025 as the quick one — a full-size sudoku takes ten minutes; a mini takes two, and on a good day, one.
The finished grid for today is on the Mini Sudoku answer today page. This guide covers the handful of techniques the 6×6 actually needs — it is a smaller toolkit than full sudoku's, and knowing which tools *don't* apply is half the speed.
How 6×6 differs from 9×9
The box shape is the whole difference. A 9×9 sudoku has square 3×3 boxes; the 6×6 has rectangular boxes, two rows tall and three columns wide. That asymmetry matters: a box shares its two rows with only one other box, but shares its three columns with two other boxes. Row-based deductions are therefore stronger in mini sudoku than column-based ones, and the fastest solvers scan rows first.
There are also far fewer candidates. With six digits and a box of six cells, each empty cell rarely has more than three possibilities, and most of the advanced 9×9 techniques — X-wings, swordfish, colouring — never come up. If you find yourself reaching for them, you've missed a simpler move.
The three techniques that finish every board
Hidden single in a box. Take a box and a digit not yet in it. Cross out every cell in the box that shares a row or column with that digit elsewhere. If one cell is left, the digit goes there. This is the workhorse — on most LinkedIn boards it places half the digits by itself.
Naked single in a cell. Take an empty cell and list the digits not in its row, column or box. If one digit is left, place it. This is the move for the middle of the solve, when the givens have thinned the possibilities.
Row-box interaction (pointing pairs). If, within a box, a digit can only go in cells that all sit in one row, that digit is confined to that row within the box — so it can be eliminated from the rest of that row. On the 6×6 this fires often because every box spans only two rows; it is the move that opens the harder boards.
A solving order
Begin with the box that has the most givens, and for each missing digit run the hidden-single check. Then move to the rows: a row with four givens has two empty cells and two missing digits, and one of them is usually decided by a column. Work rows before columns for the reason above. Save naked-single scans for when the board is more than half full — earlier, they're slow and rarely productive.
When the board stalls with no singles, look for the row-box interaction. Because the boxes are two rows tall, a digit confined to one row of a box is common, and the elimination it produces usually creates a hidden single somewhere in that row.
A worked grid
The tutorial-grade board LinkedIn gives new players is a good specimen. Givens (row by row, dots for blanks): · 2 3 · 4 5 / 5 · · 2 · 1 / · · 4 · 6 · / · 1 · 3 · · / 6 · 5 · · 2 / 2 4 · 1 3 ·. Twenty givens, sixteen blanks.
Box 1 (rows 1–2, columns 1–3) has 2, 3, 5. Missing 1, 4, 6. Row 1 column 1: column 1 has 5, 6, 2 — so 1 or 4; row 1 has 2, 3, 4, 5 — so 1. Place 1. Row 2 columns 2–3: row 2 has 5, 2, 1 — needs 3, 4, 6 across three blanks; column 2 has 2, 1, 4 — so row 2 column 2 is 3 or 6; box needs 4, 6 — column 2 can't be 4 (column has 4) — so 6 at row 2 column 2, then 4 at row 2 column 3. Wait: box 1 needed 1, 4, 6 and we've placed 1, 6, 4. Box done.
Row 2 is now 5 6 4 2 _ 1: the blank at column 5 is 3. Column 5 has 4, 3, 6, then blanks at rows 4–5 and 3 at row 6: row 4 column 5 and row 5 column 5 take 1, 5 in some order; row 4 has 1, 3 — so row 4 column 5 is 5, row 5 column 5 is 1. And so on — each placement hands you the next. The full grid is on the answer page for the day it ran; the point here is that hidden singles alone carry a board of this density.
Timing and the daily rhythm
LinkedIn times Mini Sudoku from the first tap and shows your time to connections. The game uses a numeric keypad on mobile and the keyboard on desktop; on desktop, arrow-key movement plus number entry is markedly faster than clicking. There's also a notes mode for pencil marks, though on a 6×6 most players don't need it.
Boards are hand-set and vary in difficulty across the week; a Sunday board can require the pointing-pair technique two or three times, while a midweek board falls to hidden singles alone. Mini Sudoku launched in 2025 as one of the newer LinkedIn games, and the puzzle count on the results page (#387 on 3 September 2026) tells you how long it's been running.
Technique cheat-sheet
The three techniques again, with when to reach for each.
| Technique | Ask | When it fires |
|---|---|---|
| Hidden single (box) | Where in this box can digit N go? | Early — boxes with 3+ givens |
| Naked single (cell) | What can this cell be? | Mid — cells in full rows/columns |
| Row-box interaction | Is digit N confined to one row within this box? | Late — when singles stall |
Mini Sudoku versus the other LinkedIn logic games
If you play Queens and Tango, the transfer is direct — and the differences are worth naming.
- Like Queens: one placement per line; eliminations drive everything; no guessing ever required.
- Like Tango: counting per line decides most cells; the last line of a box fills itself.
- Unlike both: six symbols instead of one or two, so candidate tracking matters more, and the box shape (2×3) is the thing to keep in view.
- Speed: the fastest of the three for most players once the box shape is internalised; a 90-second Mini Sudoku is ordinary.
Mistakes to avoid
Assuming 3×2 boxes. LinkedIn's boxes are 2 rows by 3 columns. Players who picture them the other way place digits in the wrong box constantly.
Filling by row alone. Every placement must satisfy row, column and box. The box is the one people forget in the small grid.
Guessing at the end. When two cells could each hold two digits, one of the columns decides it. There's no need to try one and see.
Nikoli, Snyder, and why this Mini Sudoku is hand-set
The game's introduction credits Nikoli — the Japanese puzzle publisher that named and popularised sudoku in the 1980s — and Thomas Snyder, a three-time World Sudoku Champion, as the setters. That matters for how the puzzles feel. Computer-generated sudoku is uniformly solvable by singles; hand-set sudoku has a *path* — the setter intends you to find a particular deduction, and the board rewards you for it. On a 6×6 that path is short, but it's there: the row-box interaction in the guide above is usually the intended moment.
Hand-setting also means the difficulty curve across the week is deliberate. Monday boards fall to hidden singles; the weekend board wants the pointing pair, sometimes twice.
A note on the number keypad
On mobile the game shows a 1–6 keypad below the grid with Erase, Undo and a Notes toggle. Tap a cell, tap a number. Notes mode writes small candidates instead of a digit; on a 6×6 it's rarely needed but it's there for the harder weekend boards. On desktop, click a cell and type; arrow keys move the selection.
Reader questions
"Why 2×3 and not 3×2?" Convention from Nikoli's 6×6 format; the box shape is fixed.
"Can there be more than one solution?" No — every board is hand-set with a unique solution.
"Is there a harder version?" Not on LinkedIn; the weekend board is the hard one.
A note on speed
Ninety seconds is an ordinary time for a practised player; forty-five is fast. The difference is almost entirely in not re-scanning: the routine above visits each box once, each row once, then columns, and only returns to the pointing-pair check if stuck. Players who scan the whole grid after every placement double their time.
Glossary
Terms as used on this site.
- Box — one of the six 2×3 regions.
- Given — a digit printed on the starting grid.
- Hidden single — the only cell in a unit that can hold a digit.
- Naked single — a cell with only one possible digit.
- Pointing pair — a digit confined to one row within a box, eliminating it from the rest of that row.
- Unit — a row, column or box.
A weekly rhythm
Nikoli's hand-set boards follow a deliberate curve: Monday and Tuesday fall to hidden singles alone; Wednesday and Thursday need a naked single or two; the weekend board wants the row-box interaction, sometimes twice, and is the one worth timing. If a midweek board seems to need advanced logic, you've missed a single — rescan the boxes.
Notes mode, and when it earns its keep
The Notes toggle writes candidate digits small inside a cell instead of committing one. On most 6×6 boards it's unnecessary; the singles techniques carry the grid and pencil marks slow you down. It earns its keep on the weekend board when the row-box interaction is needed twice: marking the two or three candidates in the cells of a box makes the confined digit visible at a glance, and the elimination it produces is then obvious. Use it for one box at a time, clear it when the box resolves, and never for the whole grid.
Frequently asked questions
How big is LinkedIn's Mini Sudoku?
6×6, with six 2×3 boxes and digits 1 to 6.
Do I need pencil marks?
Rarely. With only six digits, most cells have two or three candidates and the singles techniques handle them.
Is it always solvable without guessing?
Yes. Hidden singles, naked singles and the row-box interaction are enough for every board.
When does Mini Sudoku reset?
Midnight Pacific time.
Who sets the LinkedIn Mini Sudoku puzzles?
They're produced with Nikoli, the Japanese publisher that popularised sudoku, with input from world champion Thomas Snyder, according to the game's own introduction.
Is there a notes mode?
Yes — a Notes toggle lets you pencil in candidates. Most 6×6 boards don't need it.
Can I play on desktop with the keyboard?
Yes. Click a cell and type a digit; arrow keys move between cells.