How to Play Kakuro
L. Brown
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Kakuro is a Japanese game that is similar to Sudoku. The game is also known by the name Cross Sums. Many newspapers print a Kakuro game in their daily newspaper, but it is only now starting to gain popularity in the United States. Here are the rules for playing Kakuro, and a list of tips that will h 
elp you get started.
Kakuro can seem confusing at first. There are some squares that have have one number, some that have one number over another, and some that have no number at all. If you think of it as a crossword puzzle, you will understand the way it works. The main similarity to Sudoku is that it only uses the numbers 1 through 9. Also, you may not use the same number in the same string. For example, if you have a string of two boxes and the clue is 6, you may not have two 3s.
Say you have the number 3 along the top row, and it is the only number in its box. You should also notice that there will be a string of two blank boxes directly beneath it. The reason is simple. The number 3 is your clue, and the boxes underneath it will add up to 3. If the number was 5 instead, the numbers would have to add up to 5, and so on. Because the only numbers between 1 and 9 that add up to 3 are 1 and 2, you know that one of the boxes will be a 1 and the other will be a 2. You must use the hints in the other boxes to give you a clue as to which one is which.
If you have two numbers in a Kakuro clue box, the one in the upper right corner is you clue for the boxes to the side of it. The number in the bottom left corner is your clue for the numbers below it.
The big trouble for a beginning player is when you have a very large number for your clue, or when the number has many different combinations. For example, say you have the number 41 and a string of 7 squares. That means you must find the correct position for 7 numbers which add up to the number 41. Obviously, this is difficult. Likewise, if you have the number 15 and a string of three boxes, there are quite a few combinations, and you must find not only the correct position, but even which numbers to use.
Kakuro can seem confusing at first. There are some squares that have have one number, some that have one number over another, and some that have no number at all. If you think of it as a crossword puzzle, you will understand the way it works. The main similarity to Sudoku is that it only uses the numbers 1 through 9. Also, you may not use the same number in the same string. For example, if you have a string of two boxes and the clue is 6, you may not have two 3s.
Say you have the number 3 along the top row, and it is the only number in its box. You should also notice that there will be a string of two blank boxes directly beneath it. The reason is simple. The number 3 is your clue, and the boxes underneath it will add up to 3. If the number was 5 instead, the numbers would have to add up to 5, and so on. Because the only numbers between 1 and 9 that add up to 3 are 1 and 2, you know that one of the boxes will be a 1 and the other will be a 2. You must use the hints in the other boxes to give you a clue as to which one is which.
If you have two numbers in a Kakuro clue box, the one in the upper right corner is you clue for the boxes to the side of it. The number in the bottom left corner is your clue for the numbers below it.
The big trouble for a beginning player is when you have a very large number for your clue, or when the number has many different combinations. For example, say you have the number 41 and a string of 7 squares. That means you must find the correct position for 7 numbers which add up to the number 41. Obviously, this is difficult. Likewise, if you have the number 15 and a string of three boxes, there are quite a few combinations, and you must find not only the correct position, but even which numbers to use.