LinkedIn Just Made Sudoku Mini — and That's a Big Deal

LinkedIn — yes, the place where you update your job title — quietly launched a daily puzzle game this month: Mini Sudoku. A 6×6 grid, digits 1 through 6, one fresh puzzle a day, with hints, notes, and undo. It's already picking up a loyal following in people's morning routines.

The format itself deserves credit where it's due: mini Sudoku was invented by Nikoli, the Japanese puzzle company that popularized classic Sudoku worldwide. LinkedIn's version brings that compact format to a much bigger audience — and we think that's great news for puzzle lovers everywhere.

Why small grids are sneaky-good

A full 9×9 Sudoku is a commitment. A 6×6 mini is a conversation. You can hold the whole grid in your head, spot patterns faster, and finish one in the time it takes your coffee to cool. But here's the part people underestimate: a small grid can still be genuinely hard.

Difficulty isn't about how many squares are empty — it's about how much you have to notice to fill them. A sparse 6×6 can demand real logical work: hidden singles, locked candidates, the occasional moment where you stare at the grid convinced there's no move, until there is.

So we put one on a shirt

That's the whole PuzzleWhere thesis: the best puzzles are the ones that start conversations. Our next tee carries a full mini Sudoku — a real, hand-tuned grid with exactly one solution, and not necessarily an easy one.

And there's a twist we're excited about: the QR code on the shirt doesn't just show you the answer. It opens the actual puzzle, playable right here on the site, starting from the exact grid printed on the shirt. Solve it on your phone while the wearer watches you sweat. Better yet, get friends, family, or even strangers to scan and solve too. There is a built in timer, so even if people don't start at exactly the same time, you can still see who solves it faster. 

Try the shirt's grid right now — no shirt required. Fair warning: it gives away less than it looks like it does.

The more people play the game, the more we'll make updates and offer a full library of choices. So if you're a Mini Sudoku lover that would like more options and more control over them, let us know, and pass this on to family and friends.