You may have heard the term from the newspapers or from a bookshelf, but it is globally gaining popularity by the day since 2005. For the uninitiated, a sudoku is a is a logic-based placement puzzle (as described in Wikipedia). Here is an example:

A sudoku puzzle consists of nine 3×3 grids arranged in a square, some of them already filled out with numbers. The goal is to fill out the rest according to the ultimate rule: in every row, in every column, and in every 3×3 grid, there must be the numbers 1 to 9. This means that in those three confinements, any number does not repeat.

Though there is no mathematics involved, it is not as simple as it may sound. The hardest sudoku are the unsolvable ones, whereas the easiest ones can be found in sudoku books sold in your local bookstore. There are various strategies one can use to solve a sudoku, few of which being the common way to go. Read the basic strategy here.

But here is the catch: once you make a mistake, it is very difficult to trace your mistake.

Within a year, Sudoku had made its name starting from an apperance in a British newspaper, spreading its way to many more newspapers and eventually, the rest of the world. TV shows were hosted, competitions were held, books were published, all with the increasingly known name that goes by ‘Sudoku’. Read the full story here. What is it that made it so explosively popular that any general daily newspaper without a sudoku would be left out?

The answer lies in the beauty of its simplicity and at the same time, its complexity. A simple black and white 9×9 grid of numbers in the palm of your hand can be looked at in different ways. While crossword puzzles depend on your vocabulary skills, sudokus tests your visualizing capabilities, free from the language barrier. The average passer-by, with enough interest, can easily get started in attempting sudokus regularly.

I do not claim to be adept at this puzzle, but I refrain from reading and learning strategies. I would rather attempt to understand and master the puzzle on my own. That would be where the challenge is; besides, reading strategies is almost similar to reading the answers.

You can catch a stranger staring at the same small space for many a minute, oblivious to his own stillness. Sudokus can be addictive, mysterious, frustrating, satisfying (upon completion), and mind-sapping all printed on a simple piece of paper, ask any sudoku enthusiast.

Do you sudoku?

Here are some sudokus you can find online:

Sudoku News
Play online
Play online
Timed game
Print versions
Flash-based
Flash-based, non-numerical

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