Sudoku

Sudoku is a fun number game.

You use a big grid with many squares. You must fill it with numbers from 1 to 9. Each row needs every number. Each column needs every number too. Small boxes inside the grid also need them all.

People play this game on paper or phones. It is a great way to use your brain!

Sudoku is a logic puzzle using numbers.

Most puzzles use a big 9x9 grid. You must fill it with digits from 1 to 9. Every row needs each number once. Every column needs each number once. The grid also has nine small 3x3 boxes. Each box must have all the numbers from 1 to 9.

A puzzle maker gives you a grid with some numbers already filled in. A good puzzle has only one right answer.

Early versions of these puzzles appeared in French newspapers. They were very similar to the game we know today. In 1979, a man named Howard Garns made a version called Number Place. Later, a Japanese company called Nikoli published it as Sudoku. The name Sudoku means "single number."

People all over the world love this game. You can play it on paper or on a phone. There are even many types of Sudoku. Some use bigger grids or different shapes. Some even use math to find the right numbers. It is a great way to test your mind.

Sudoku is a famous logic puzzle that people play all over the world.

It is a combinatorial number-placement puzzle, which means you place numbers in a specific pattern. Most people play the classic version using a 9x9 grid. This large grid is made of nine smaller 3x3 subgrids. These smaller areas are often called boxes, blocks, or regions. The goal is to fill the grid with digits from 1 to 9. You must make sure every row and every column has each digit. Each of the nine 3x3 boxes must also contain all the digits from 1 to 9.

To play, you start with a partially completed grid provided by a puzzle setter. For a well-posed puzzle, there is only one single solution possible. You use logic rather than math to find the missing numbers. You look at the rows, columns, and boxes to see which numbers are missing. By checking these three areas at once, you can figure out the right spot for each digit. Some people like easy puzzles, while others look for very hard ones. Some newspapers even offer different difficulty levels side by side. This helps people enjoy the challenge at their own skill level.

History shows that these types of puzzles have existed for a long time. In the late 19th century, French newspapers featured similar number puzzles. One paper called Le Siècle published a 9x9 magic square in 1892. It was not quite Sudoku because it used double-digit numbers and required arithmetic. Another paper, La France, published a version in 1895 called a "diabolical magic square." The modern version of the puzzle first appeared in 1979. A man named Howard Garns designed it in Connersville, Indiana. He published it in Dell Magazines under the name Number Place.

The puzzle became very popular in Japan through the company Nikoli. They published it in 1984 in a paper called Monthly Nikolist. They used the name Sudoku, which means "single number."

In 1986, Nikoli added new rules to make the puzzles better. They limited the number of starting digits to no more than 32. They also made the puzzles symmetrical, meaning the starting numbers are spread out evenly. Later, a judge named Wayne Gould helped the game spread globally. He used a computer program to make unique puzzles for newspapers. This helped the game reach The Conway Daily Sun in 2004 and The Times in London.

Today, Sudoku is everywhere, from paper books to mobile phones.

You can find it on many devices like the Nintendo DS or iPhone. There are even many different ways to play the game. Some people play Samurai Sudoku, which uses five overlapping 9x9 grids. Others play Killer Sudoku, which uses "cages" and addition to find numbers. There is even a version called Greater Than Sudoku that uses symbols. You can even find a three-dimensional version called Tredoku. Whether it is a small 4x4 grid or a huge 100x100 grid, there is a version for everyone.

{ "text": "Sudoku is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. It is a game of patterns and rules rather than arithmetic. In its classic form, the puzzle uses a 9x9 grid. This large grid is composed of nine smaller 3x3 subgrids. These smaller areas are known by several names, including boxes, blocks, or regions.

\n\nThe objective is to fill the entire grid with digits from 1 to 9. To solve it correctly, you must follow three specific rules. First, every horizontal row must contain all digits from 1 to 9. Second, every vertical column must contain all digits from 1 to 9. Third, each of the nine 3x3 subgrids must also contain every digit from 1 to 9. A puzzle setter provides a partially completed grid to start. For a well-posed puzzle, there is exactly one single solution possible.\n\nMany different types of Sudoku exist today. Some variations change the size of the grid or the shape of the regions. For example, Mini Sudoku uses a 4x4 grid with 2x2 regions. Larger versions include 16x16 grids called Number Place Challenger puzzles. Nikoli offers massive 25x25 grids known as Sudoku the Giant. There is even a 100x100 grid version called Sudoku-zilla.

\n\nOther variants change the logic used to find the numbers. Killer Sudoku combines the game with elements of kakuro. In this version, players must deal with \"cages,\" which are areas outlined by dashes or colors. Each cage has a sum written in its corner, and numbers cannot repeat inside it. Greater Than Sudoku uses mathematical symbols like \"greater than\" (>) or \"less than\" (<) to guide the player.

\n\nSome players enjoy complex layouts like Samurai Sudoku. This version uses five 9x9 grids that overlap at the corners in a quincunx shape. There are also sequential grids where values must be transferred between different puzzles. Some versions even move into three dimensions. The Times publishes a 3D version called Tredoku, and there is even a Sudoku Cube.

\n\nThe history of these puzzles spans several centuries and countries. In the late 19th century, French newspapers experimented with number puzzles. In 1892, the Paris daily Le Siècle published a 9x9 magic square. It was not a true Sudoku because it used double-digit numbers and required arithmetic. In 1895, the newspaper La France published a \"diabolical magic square.\" This version used only numbers 1–9 and was much closer to the modern game.\n\nThe modern version of the puzzle was likely designed by Howard Garns. He was a 74-year-old retired architect from Connersville, Indiana. In 1979, his work was published by Dell Magazines as Number Place. The puzzle later traveled to Japan, where the company Nikoli introduced it in 1984. They called it \"dokushin,\" meaning the digits must be single. The name was eventually shortened to Sudoku.

\n\nIn 1986, Nikoli introduced two important innovations to the game. They restricted the number of \"givens," or starting numbers, to no more than 32. They also made the puzzles symmetrical. This means the starting numbers are distributed in rotationally symmetric cells. This helped standardize the high-quality puzzles we see today.\n\nSudoku became a global phenomenon thanks to Wayne Gould. He was a judge from Hong Kong who saw a puzzle in a Japanese bookshop in 1997. Gould developed a computer program to produce unique puzzles rapidly. He shared these puzzles with newspapers like The Conway Daily Sun in 2004. He also helped The Times in London launch the game in November 2004.

\n\nThe game has even entered the world of television and competition. In 2005, Sky One broadcast the first live TV Sudoku show, called Sudoku Live. It featured nine teams of nine players competing to solve puzzles. The World Sudoku Championship has been organized by the World Puzzle Federation since 2006. Today, Sudoku is found on almost every digital platform, from the iPhone to the Nintendo DS.", "media": [ "File:Sudoku Puzzle (an automorphic puzzle with 18 clues).svg", "File:Sudoku board game.jpg", "File:Comparison Sudoku.png", "File:Sudoku.jpg", "File:Sudokujf.JPG", "File:SudokuLive2.jpg" ] }