NS-011

Find the next number: 8, 17, 26, 35, 44, ?

Rule: The pattern is an arithmetic sequence: add 9 each step.

So the next number is 53.

• Picking the first pattern you see without checking it against all rows/columns.
• Ignoring the simplest rule (counts, rotations, alternations) and jumping to a complex story.
• Not testing your rule on the middle row/column (where many puzzles “break” bad rules).