Valid Sudoku
Detailed guide and Python implementation for the 'Valid Sudoku' problem.
Problem Statement
Determine if a 9 x 9 Sudoku board is valid. Only the filled cells need to be validated according to the following rules:
1. Each row must contain the digits 1-9 without repetition.
2. Each column must contain the digits 1-9 without repetition.
3. Each of the nine 3 x 3 sub-boxes of the grid must contain the digits 1-9 without repetition.
Note: A Sudoku board (partially filled) could be valid but is not necessarily solvable. Only the filled cells need to be validated.
Write a function isValidSudoku(board: List[List[str]]) -> bool.
- •board.length == 9
- •board[i].length == 9
- •board[i][j] is a digit 1-9 or '.'
Examples
board = [["5","3",".",".","7",".",".",".","."],["6",".",".","1","9","5",".",".","."],[".","9","8",".",".",".",".","6","."],["8",".",".",".","6",".",".",".","3"],["4",".",".","8",".","3",".",".","1"],["7",".",".",".","2",".",".",".","6"],[".","6",".",".",".",".","2","8","."],[".",".",".","4","1","9",".",".","5"],[".",".",".",".","8",".",".","7","9"]]
True
No row, column, or 3x3 sub-box contains a duplicate digit.
board = [["8","3",".",".","7",".",".",".","."],["6",".",".","1","9","5",".",".","."],[".","9","8",".",".",".",".","6","."],["8",".",".",".","6",".",".",".","3"],["4",".",".","8",".","3",".",".","1"],["7",".",".",".","2",".",".",".","6"],[".","6",".",".",".",".","2","8","."],[".",".",".","4","1","9",".",".","5"],[".",".",".",".","8",".",".","7","9"]]
False
The digit 8 appears twice in the first column (rows 0 and 3) and twice in the top-left 3x3 sub-box.
Need a Hint?
Edge Cases to Watch
- Empty input structures
- Single element inputs
- Large numerical bounds
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