Knowledge

Sudoku Basics: Row, Column, and Box Naming Conventions

2025-01-21 · 2 min read
Knowledge Base / Techniques Index / Naming Convention

Before learning Sudoku techniques, you need to understand the board's naming conventions. This site uses the following standards:

Naming Rules

  • Rows: Numbers 1-9, from top to bottom
  • Columns: Letters A-I, from left to right
  • Boxes: Numbers 1-9, left to right, top to bottom
Sudoku Row, Column, Box Naming Diagram
Row numbers (1-9 on left), Column letters (A-I at bottom), Box numbers (inside grid)

Box Layout

Box 1 Box 2 Box 3
Box 4 Box 5 Box 6
Box 7 Box 8 Box 9

Cell Coordinates

Use column + row to identify cell positions:

  • A1 - Top left corner
  • E5 - Center
  • I9 - Bottom right corner
Tip: Using letters for columns avoids confusion with row numbers. E3 clearly means column E, row 3.