INTERNATIONAL SUDOKU DAY
On September 9th, International Sudoku Day celebrates the logic-based number-placement puzzle called Sudoku. It’s also a day to learn to play this fun number game.
Sudoku is comprised of a grid of little boxes called cells, stacked nine high and nine wide, totaling 81 cells. Players fill each row, column, and square with the numbers 1 through 9. The numbers cannot repeat within the row, column, or square. Also, a Sudoku grid already has some of the numbers filled in. The more spaces that are filled, the easier the game.
Sudoku is based on a number puzzle called Latin Squares. An 18th-century mathematician from Switzerland developed this game. In 1895, these puzzles were published in French newspapers. Today’s version of Sudoku, however, is much more modern. Howard Garns from Connersville, Indiana, created the game we play today. Garns is a freelance puzzle inventor, and he called the game Number Place. In 1979, Number Place first appeared in the magazine “Dell Pencil Puzzles and Word Games.”
In 1984, the game appeared in Japan. There, they called it Sudoku, which means “the digits are limited to one occurrence.” Since the Japanese language doesn’t work well for crossword puzzles, number games are much more popular there. In fact, each month, people in Japan buy over 600,000 Sudoku magazines.
In 1997, a New Zealand judge named Wayne Gould discovered Sudoku while on vacation in Tokyo. He is credited for reintroducing the puzzle game to the Western world. In 2004, the Times of London and The Conway Daily Sun in New Hampshire began publishing Sudoku puzzles. Since then, Sudoku has become a global phenomenon.
HOW TO OBSERVE #InternationalSudokuDay
The best way to observe this day is to play Sudoku. If you don’t know how it’s an easy game to learn. Once you’ve played it, teach the game to someone else. You will find this game to be totally relaxing. Besides providing a temporary escape, Sudoku is fun for all ages and might even help keep your brain healthy. Also, if you have a song stuck in your head, Sudoku is a proven way to stop the song from replaying in your mind. Be sure to share this fun day on social media with #InternationalSudokuDay.
INTERNATIONAL SUDOKU DAY HISTORY
In 2013, the World Puzzle Federation officially established September 9th as International Sudoku Day. They believed September 9th was the most appropriate day since the game consists of a 9 x 9 grid of numbers.