the sudoku is now one of the logic games and puzzles in the world.
👉 This Japanese game consists of fill in a grid composed of 9 × 9 squares divided into 9 3 × 3 squares. The principle is simple: place numbers from 1 to 9 in each row, column and square, without ever repeating a number.
But in what year and how sudoku appeared?
❗ In fact, the game first appeared in 1979 in the United States under the name Number Place.
To find out more, see this article:
- The origin of the game
- How it developed
- Where to play sudoku free online
- What are the names of sudoku
The origins of sudoku before Japan
First ancestors in the 18th century
Long before the grids sudoku, mathematicians were already interested in logical structures similar to this game.
📝 In the 18th century, Leonhard Euler, a famous Swiss mathematician, invented the concept of Latin squares. These are tables where each symbol appears only once in each row and column. The principle is very similar to that of Sudoku.
This work is one of the mathematical bases of the puzzle modern. Even if the sudoku didn't yet exist in its current form, the idea of filling in boxes according to a precise logic was already there.
👌 This research shows that sudoku is based on a mathematical tradition centuries old.
The modern puzzle in the United States (1979)
📅 The sudoku first appeared in 1979 in an American magazine. It is published in Dell Magazines in the magazine Dell Pencil Puzzles & Word Games.
Its creator is Howard Garns, an American architect and puzzle designer.
🧩 The game is then called : Number Place, which is already very similar to today's sudoku grid:
- A 9 × 9 grid
- Empty boxes
- Regarding the numbers to place according to a strict logic
For several years, this puzzle remains relatively discreet, appearing mainly in gaming magazines and trade journals.
Arrival in Japan in 1984
📝 The major turning point comes in 1984, when the game is imported to Japan.
Puzzle publisher Nikoli discovers this American puzzle and decides to publish it in its magazines. Japanese publishers then gave it a new name: Sūji wa dokushin ni kagiru.
This Japanese expression means : «figures must remain unique».».
✅ The name Sudoku, which is the abbreviation of the expression, became the official name of the game worldwide.
The global explosion in sudoku
Popularization in Japan
In Japan, the puzzle games are part of popular culture. Visit sudoku is fast becoming a phenomenon.
It was published in magazines, distributed in newspapers and shared among logic enthusiasts. Millions of players begin to fill in grids in their spare time.
The arrival in Europe and in the press (2000s)
🌍 Le sudoku became truly global in the early 2000s.
A New Zealand puzzle enthusiast, Wayne Gould, develops a computer program capable of generate grids of sudoku. He then offered these grids to British newspapers.
In November 2004, the renowned The Times began publishing a daily grid, with immediate success.
Other newspapers such as The Daily Mail Where The Sun also publish their sudoku puzzles.
🔥 This is how the game becomes a true worldwide phenomenon.
the sudoku today
Today, the sudoku has become one of logic games in the world. It can be found in newspapers, magazines, mobile applications and websites.
In fact, at the moment, you can do some sudoku free online at This site.
There are even international sudoku championships where the best players solve puzzles in record time.
In short, it's an excellent game to stimulate logic, train the brain and have fun.
What's the name of a sudoku ?
There is no single official name, but several terms are used.
The most commonly used term
✔ The most used word is : “Sudokiste”.
It refers to a person who plays regularly to sudoku or solving grids.
In competitions
In championships or specialized articles, you will also find :
- ✔ player sudoku
- ✔ Puzzle solver
- ✔ Logic puzzle lover
To sum up, the sudoku therefore appeared in 1979 in the United States with the Number Place game. It was then popularized in Japan in 1984, where it received its current name.
Thanks to newspapers, magazines and then the Internet in the 2000s, the sudoku has become a worldwide phenomenon, with millions of players.
And this success is not surprising, since it can be said that quiet puzzle games really help you unwind after a long day, and this is the case of sudoku.
👉 If you like puzzles, you can also discover our selection of best puzzle games on PC, which offer puzzles, games logical challenges and even more immersive cerebral adventures.
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