Between Line Sudoku (PuzzleMadness)
Rate itA sudoku with lines between two circles: every digit on the line lies strictly between the circled ends.
on puzzlemadness.co.uk

Between Line Sudoku on PuzzleMadness is a 9x9 sudoku with thin lines joining pairs of circles. Every digit on the inside of a line must be strictly greater than one end and smaller than the other. A new grid is posted daily from Easy to Tough.
About Between Line Sudoku (PuzzleMadness)
The normal rules of sudoku apply, with 1 to 9 once in every row, column and 3x3 box. Each Between line has a circle at both ends. The digits in the cells along the middle of the line must all lie strictly between the two circled digits, so a line from a 2 to a 7 can only hold 3, 4, 5 and 6 in its middle, and never 2 or 7 themselves. Either end can be the larger one.
The ends of a line are usually far apart in value, since a long line needs room for its middle digits: a line with three middle cells needs ends at least four apart. Circles cannot hold a digit equal to any middle cell, which also rules out 1 and 9 in the middle of any line. The Medium grid for 28 October 2026 had 13 lines, some only three cells long and others bending across two or three boxes.
The grid works like every sudoku on PuzzleMadness: number buttons above and below it, an eraser, and a pencil mode for candidate digits. On a keyboard, the number keys enter digits, the arrow keys move between cells, Ctrl, Shift or Alt with a number adds a pencil mark, and Delete or Backspace clears a cell.
PuzzleMadness is a free puzzle website run by Dewi, a software developer who started out making games for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii and DS and now builds the site as a hobby. It carries dozens of puzzle types, from classic sudoku to newer logic grids, and each one gets its own dated puzzle every day at each difficulty. Between Line Sudoku comes in Easy, Medium, Hard and Tough versions. The Mixed page is a fifth grid of its own, not a copy of one of the four, and its level changes from day to day. Each of the five is shared by everyone who opens it that day.
The site checks your grid as you go and tells you when it is finished; it does not publish solutions. Each completed puzzle earns a score, and scores feed a monthly and an all-time Between Line Sudoku leaderboard, where only your best attempt at a puzzle counts. Older days stay in the archive, so a missed puzzle can still be played later and still counts toward the current month. Playing needs no account; a free registration gives you a username on the leaderboards and a cloud save. The pages carry adverts.
How to play Between Line Sudoku (PuzzleMadness)
- Open today's Between Line Sudoku page on PuzzleMadness and choose a difficulty from the menu above the grid.
- Click a cell and enter a digit with the number buttons above and below the grid or with the keyboard; the eraser button clears a cell.
- Fill every row, column and 3x3 box with the digits 1 to 9, each once.
- On each Between line, make every digit in the middle of the line strictly larger than one circled end and strictly smaller than the other.
- Turn on pencil mode (the pencil button, or Ctrl, Shift or Alt with a number key) to jot candidate digits in a cell.
- The site tells you when the grid is complete and adds your score; registered players appear on the leaderboards.
Screenshots

Tips
- 1 and 9 can never sit in the middle of a line; they often belong in the circles.
- Count the middle cells: with n different digits needed in the middle, the circled ends must be at least n + 1 apart.
- A given digit in the middle of a line tells you one circle is above it and the other below.
- Missed a day? Earlier puzzles are in the archive, and finishing one still counts toward this month's leaderboard.
Questions
Can a digit on a Between line equal one of the circles?
No. The middle digits must be strictly between the two circled digits, never equal to either.
When does a new Between Line Sudoku puzzle appear?
Once a day: each difficulty gets its own dated puzzle. PuzzleMadness does not state the exact changeover time.
Where can I see the solution?
PuzzleMadness does not publish solutions. The page tells you when your grid is correct and finished, or when you have made a mistake.
Is Between Line Sudoku on PuzzleMadness free?
Yes. It is free to play in a browser with adverts on the page, and registering for the leaderboards is free too.
Is the Mixed page a different puzzle?
Yes. On 28 October 2026 the Mixed page served its own grid, marked Medium, with different givens and lines from the grid on the Medium page. So there are five Between Line Sudoku puzzles a day.
Ratings and reviews
No ratings yet. Be the first to rate Between Line Sudoku (PuzzleMadness).
Games like Between Line Sudoku (PuzzleMadness)

Entropic Line Sudoku (PuzzleMadness)
Also sorts digits by size along lines: any three cells in a row on a line hold one low, one medium and one…

Thermo Sudoku (PuzzleMadness)
PuzzleMadness's thermometer sudoku, where digits climb from the bulb.

German Whisper Line Sudoku (PuzzleMadness)
Neighbours on its lines must differ by at least five, a size rule much like the one here.

Renban Sudoku (PuzzleMadness)
Lines again, though each holds a run of consecutive digits in any order

RegionSum Line Sudoku (PuzzleMadness)
A PuzzleMadness line sudoku built on sums across box borders instead of order.

Mercury (Mind Loft)
For a daily thermo sudoku away from PuzzleMadness, Mind Loft's one grid a day suits.

Daily Futoshiki
Greater-than and less-than clues on a big daily grid, without the boxes of sudoku.

Consecutive Line Sudoku (PuzzleMadness)
A sudoku with grey lines where each digit is one more or one less than the next along the line.