How hard is expert sudoku?
Expert puzzles get stuck where pairs and pointing can't help. To move on you need one of the bigger patterns: an X-Wing or Swordfish, a Skyscraper or 2-String Kite, an XY-Wing or W-Wing, an Empty Rectangle, a Unique Rectangle or Simple Coloring.
We grade every puzzle by the hardest step it needs, the way sudoku experts do: every grid on this page calls for at least one of these patterns, and none needs long chains or guessing. Each pattern has its own guide with a real example.