Sudoku's Storied History - By: Terence Uniacke, 2007-05-24

People today tend to marvel at the accomplishments of ancient civilizations, such as demonstrated by the pyramids of Egypt. Those ancient people had such creativity and intelligence, and they did not have TV or radio to entertain themselves. Instead, they relied upon their minds for entertainment, creativity, and solutions to problems.

Today, when people find the media has become somewhat dull, repeating stories in a cycle -- "the sames" rather than "the news -- they often turn to brain teasers and puzzles as a remedy. Doing so encourages our brain to get a bit of a mental work out, and dusts off unused parts of the mind that need to be worked to keep them healthy. Puzzles and riddles serve lots of purposes, and all over the world, people enjoy challenges that help keep the mind active and thinking up new ideas and strategies.

Some of our most enduring games and puzzles were based on the ideas of ancient peoples, with changes and innovations applied along the way. Beautiful in its simplicity yet intoxicatingly challenging, Sudoku is one of the games that may well have existed since the ancient times. The history of Sudoku is as interesting as the puzzle itself.

The game also has a fascinating history. First published in 1979 in an American puzzle game book, it was likely invented by veteran puzzle creator Howard Garns. Japanese publishers brought it there a few years later, and gave it a new name, meaning "the digits must remain single", which was later shortened to Sudoku. Japanese players instantly loved the game, and after 1984, it began its long rise to world domination. Millions of adherents around the world have improved their mental agility by playing Sudoku rather than staring at mindless TV shows.

Howard Garns was a retired architect who loved creating puzzles as a freelance effort, and it appears he contributed the first-known version of Sudoku to a puzzle magazine in 1979. It is similar to the Latin Square, which has been much analyzed by Euler, and is an ancient game. Garns added a third dimension, improving on the design, and he offered his version with some of the fields already filled in. It is immediately popular with puzzle players worldwide once they try it for the first time.

Once the game had arrived in Japan, a few years after its invention, its name was changed from "Number Place" to "Sudoku." A Japanese company copyrighted the name later on, and helped launch the game to Europe and around the world.

Originally, players always found newspapers or puzzle magazines for the source of new games, but in 1989 a computer version of Sudoku was introduced. Some people have even created a three dimensional version based on Rubik's Cube.

By 1997, Sudoku had established an enormous worldwide following. In Hong Kong, Judge Wayne Gould decided to create a computer program that can make millions of variations of Sudoku puzzles. He made a deal with The Times of Britain, which began publishing a daily puzzle in 2004.

Nationwide, newspapers would print the puzzles and sell out quickly. World media acknowledged Sudoku as the "fastest growing puzzle in the world". By 2005, Sudoku was at the peak of its popularity.

Though the puzzle alone is fascinating, the history of Sudoku adds something to the playing of the game as well. Ancient beginnings, modern computer technology, and a cross-cultural acceptance have all led to its current status. Say a thanks to Howard Garns, for bringing hours of puzzle pleasures to our lives.

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Terence Uniacke is a contributor to several popular contemporary web sites, on hobby shop online and amusement recreation themes.
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