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Whose Puzzle Is Sudoku?

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Quick Answer

Sudoku was created by American architect Howard Garns, who published it as 'Number Place' in 1979; it got its name in Japan in 1984.

The Full Story

Howard Garns, a retired architect from Indiana, is believed to have designed the modern puzzle, which appeared as 'Number Place' in Dell Pencil Puzzles and Word Games in 1979. In 1984 the Japanese puzzle company Nikoli introduced it in Japan. Nikoli's president, Maki Kaji, named it from a phrase meaning 'the digits must be single', shortened to sudoku. New Zealander Wayne Gould developed a computer program to generate puzzles and persuaded The Times of London to publish them in 2004. A worldwide craze followed within months.

Key Facts

1.A standard sudoku uses a 9 by 9 grid divided into nine 3 by 3 boxes.
2.Mathematicians proved in 2012 that a valid sudoku needs at least 17 clues.
3.Sudoku requires logic, not arithmetic.

YouTube Angle

Suggested video title for this topic:

"An American invention with a Japanese name — the story of sudoku."