404: WORLD SUDOKU & PUZZLE CHAMPIONSHIP 2023

 

The World Sudoku and Puzzle Championship is the most prestigious event in the world, bringing together the finest puzzle-solving minds from across the globe. In 2023, the championship was held in the vibrant city of Toronto, Canada.

 

The championship featured two main segments: the 16th World Sudoku Championship, took place on October 16th and 17th, and the 30th World Puzzle Championship, from October 19th to 21st.

 

177 Puzzle enthusiasts in 42 teams from 30 + nations gathered at the Don Valley Hotel and Suites in the North York district of Toronto to showcase their skills and compete for the coveted title of Sudoku World and Puzzle Champions.

 

Indian team has been participating since 2006 onwards. Previous championships were held in the following countries:-

 

2023: Toronto (Canada)

2022: Krakow (Poland)

2021: – (cancelled because of coronavirus pandemic)

2020: – (cancelled because of coronavirus pandemic)

2019: Kirchheim (Germany)

2018: Prague (Czech Republic)

2017: Bangalore (India)

2016: Senec (Slovakia)

2015: Sofia (Bulgaria)

2014: London (UK)

2013: Beijing (China)

2012: Kraljevica (Croatia)

2011: Eger (Hungary)

2010: Philadelphia (USA)

2009: Zilina (Slovakia)

2008: Goa (India)

2007: Prague (Czech Republic)

2006: Lucca (Italy)

 

WSC Results:

 

Two days of competitive sudoku solving included 100 individual sudoku puzzles and nearly 50 team sudoku spread across 15 rounds.

 

In the team competition, Japan took 1st place and earned the best team title, their 6th across 16 WSCs, the most of any country. Czechia finished 2nd and the United States of America finished 3rd.

 

 

Topping the ranks in individual competition was Tantan Dai (CHN), who won her first World Sudoku title after a couple podium finishes in the last two championships. Tiit Vunk (EST) finished 2nd and Kota Morinishi (JAP) in 3rd.

 

In the other award categories, Suzhe Qiu (CHN) was the top youth (18 and Under) solver, with Can Erturan (TUR) in 2nd and Tina Bratim (CRO) in 3rd.

 

Mark Goodliffe of the United Kingdom was the top senior solver (50 and over) with Philippe Meyer (FRA) in 2nd and Laura Tarchetti (ITA) in 3rd.

 

The top first time competitior was Hannes Sidorov of Estonia, Tsukiko Kitagawa (JAP) in 2nd and Calum Mailer in 3rd.

 

WPC Results:

 

WPC involved 22 rounds of intense puzzle competition spread over three days.

 

After many innovative team rounds with all sorts of tricks and treats, the United States of America showcased their overall strength as a group and won the team title, a record 16th after 30 championships. Japan finished second and Germany finished third.

 

 

Ken Endo, now three-time World Champion, won the individual title after showing another year of impressive solving performance across every genre of puzzle. Teammates Walker Anderson of USA (2nd) and Thomas Luo of USA (3rd) took the remaining podium positions.

 

In the other award categories, Suzhe Qiu (CHN) was the top youth (18 and Under) solver, earning this award at both the World Sudoku Championship and the World Puzzle Championship. Valentin Maikinen (FRA) was 2nd and Maciej Ignaciuk (POL) was 3rd.

 

In the over 50 category, Deyan Razsadov of Bulgaria was the top senior solver (50 and over) with Claudine Thiry (LUX) in 2nd and Philippe Meyer (FRA) in 3rd.

 

The top first time competitor was Jeffrey Bardon of USA (who was also 4th place overall!), with Kevin Zhou (USA) in 2nd and Yuan Yao (CHN) in 3rd.

 

This is the first time that the Indian teams could not participate due to the denial of Visas to the team members.

 

Question

should politics be mixed with sports?

 

Suggestions and value additions are most welcome

 

For regular updates, please register here:-

Subscribe

 

 

References and credits

To all the online sites and channels.

 

Disclaimer:

Information and data included in the blog are for educational & non-commercial purposes only and have been carefully adapted, excerpted, or edited from sources deemed reliable and accurate. All copyrighted material belongs to respective owners and is provided only for purposes of wider dissemination.

 

355: Indian Puzzle Championship 2023

 

Indian Puzzle Championship is Conducted by Logic Masters India

 

This year it was conducted on 27 May 2023.

 

Took part in it for the 4th year consecutively.

 

Stood First in the A-50 category.

 

Secured an all India Ranking of 16th.

 

It had four gruelling rounds with 88 puzzles.

 

2023 Indian Puzzle Championship

Instructions Booklet

27th May 2023, Mumbai


Round Composition at a glance:

 

Round 1:

Puzzles Points
 

Memory Lane 12 puzzles

45 minutes Points: TBD

Snake (Classics) X
Cave [Product] (Classics) X
Skyscrapers (Evergreens) X
Rule Pool (Rule Pool) X
Mochinyoro (Shading) X
LUZ Loop (MII) X
Sukoro (Number Placement) X
Pentopia (Object Placement) X
Curve Data (Casual) X
Word Labyrinth (Word) X
Sashigane (Regions) X
Reflect Link (Loops) X
Total X

 

Round 2:

Puzzles Points
 

As Good As New

13 puzzles

50 minutes Points: TBD

Star Battle (Classics) X
Masyu [Deformable] (Classics) X
Yin Yang (Evergreens) X
Rule Pool A & B (Rule Pool) X+X
Canal View (Shading) X
Akichiwake (MII) X
Kakuro (Number Placement) X
Shakashaka (Object Placement) X
Letter Weights (Casual) X
Snaky Search (Word) X
Symmarea (Regions) X
Castle Wall (Loops) X
Total X

 

Round 3:

Puzzles Points
 

6 of 1…

42 puzzles

60 minutes Points: TBD

Double Choco X+X+X+X+X+X
Shikaku X
Remembered Length X+X+X+X+X+X
Rail Pool X
Kurodoko X+X+X+X+X+X
Cave X
Number Rope X+X+X+X+X+X
RingRing X
Voxas X+X+X+X+X+X
Guide Arrow X
Midloop X+X+X+X+X+X
Balance Loop X
Total X

 

Round 4:

Puzzles Points
 

Relax 11 puzzles

45 minutes Points: TBD

Password Battleships X
Password Battleships X
Finishing Touch X
Canadian Trek X
Canadian Trek X
Pieces of Eight X
Pieces of Eight X
Pieces of Eight X
Hidden Words X
Snakes and Ladders X
Hive Mind X
Total X

 

Suggestions and value additions are most welcome

For regular updates, please register here

Subscribe

 

 

References and credits

To all the online sites and channels.

 

Disclaimer:

Information and data included in the blog are for educational & non-commercial purposes only and have been carefully adapted, excerpted, or edited from sources deemed reliable and accurate. All copyrighted material belongs to respective owners and is provided only for purposes of wider dissemination.

 

354: Indian Sudoku Championship 2023

 

 

Indian Sudoku Championship is conducted by Logic Masters India

This year it was held on 28 May 23.

 

Took part in it  for the 12th year consecutively.

 

Stood third in the A-50 category.

 

Secured an all India rank of 22 in the open category.

 

It was a four round gruelling competition, with about 30 odd variants of Sudoku being played.

 

Instructions booklet for

Sudoku Mahabharat 2023 Finals

&

Indian Sudoku Championship 2023

 

28th May 2023

 

Finals: Round 1 – The Classics 40 minutes: 400 points
Starts at 9:00 AM

Total Solving Time:

270 minutes Total Points: 2600 + Bonus + Base points

Round 2 – The Seen 70 minutes: 700 points
Round 3 – And the Unseen 90 minutes: 900 points
Round 4 – Two Way Relay 70 minutes: 600 points

 Round 1 

It had 10 Classic Sudokus.

 

Sudoku Points
Classic Sudoku 1 20 points
Classic Sudoku 2 20 points
Classic Sudoku 3 30 points
Classic Sudoku 4 25 points
Classic Sudoku 5 30 points
Classic Sudoku 6 30 points
Classic Sudoku 7 40 points
Classic Sudoku 8 55 points
Classic Sudoku 9 50 points
Classic Sudoku 10 100 points

(1-10). Classic Sudoku (20+20+30+25+30+30+40+55+50+100 points)

Place a digit from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so that each digit appears exactly once in each row, column and 3×3 box.

 Round 2

It had ten sudoku variants representing some of the online rounds of Sudoku Mahabharat 2023.

 

Variant Points
Outside Sudoku 45 points
Pointing Evens Sudoku 50 points
Killer Sudoku 55 points
Thermo Sudoku 55 points
Position Sums Sudoku 100 points
No Three in a Row Sudoku 80 points
Skyscrapers Sudoku 75 points
Hex Sudoku 75 points
XV Sudoku 120 points
Pencil marks Sudoku 40 points

 

1. Outside Sudoku (45 points)

 Apply classic Sudoku rules. Additionally, the digits outside the grid must appear in one of the cells in the first box (till the next bold line) seen from that edge of the grid

2. Pointing Evens Sudoku (50 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Digits outside the grid indicate the number of evendigits in the direction of the arrow.

3. Killer Sudoku (55 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Additionally, the sum of digits in cells inside everycage must equal the total given for the cage at the upper left cell. Digits do not repeat inside a cage.

 

4. Thermo Sudoku (55 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Digits along each thermometer are strictly increasing from its bulb to each of its ends.

 

5. Position Sums (100 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Digits in the first and second cell from the top and from the left are A and B for that column/row. There are two sets of clues outside the grid: The ones closest to the grid give the sum of A and B. The ones further out give the sum of the digits in the Ath and Bth positions in that direction.

6. No Three in a Row Sudoku (80 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Digits in any three consecutive cells in any row or column must not be of the same parity.

7. Skyscrapers Sudoku (75 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Each digit inside the grid represents the height of a skyscraper in that cell. Each number outside the grid represents the number of skyscrapers that can be seen in that row or column. Taller skyscrapers hide shorter ones.

8. Hex Sudoku (75 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Digits do not repeat along any of the three directions in which the hexagonalcells share edges of a line.

9. XV Sudoku (125 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Adjacent cells with digits summing to 5 are marked by V. Adjacent cellswith digits summing to 10 are markedby X. All possible V and X are marked.

 10. Pencilmarks Sudoku (40 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Additionally, in some cells you find all allowed candidates for the specific cell.

 Round 3

It had ten sudoku variants which are seen less frequently in competitions.

 

Variant Points
Confetti Sums Sudoku 55 points
First Seen Odd/Even Sudoku 55 points
Position Sudoku 50 points
Slanted Killer Cages Sudoku 115 points
Nine Pins Sudoku 95 points
Mathrax Sudoku 70 points
Max Ascending Sudoku 100 points
Quad Sums Sudoku 80 points
Rossini Sudoku 110 points
Arrow or Thermo Sudoku 170 points

1. Confetti Sums Sudoku (55 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. All pairs of digits having sums of A, B and C are marked with circles of white, grey, and black colors respectively. A, B and C have different values and need to be determined as part of solving.

2. First Seen Odd/Even Sudoku (55 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Clues adjacent to a row or column give the first odd (if the clue is odd) or first even(if the clue is even) digit in that row or column from the direction of the clue.

3.Position Sudoku (50 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Numbers outside the grid indicate the position of the largest digit in the first three cells.

4. Slanted Killer Cages Sudoku (115 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Digits in cages must sum to the given total and must not repeat. Digits in cells containing diagonal lines contribute half their value to the total of the cage and may belong to more than one cage.

5. Nine Pins Sudoku (95 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Each digit from 1 to 9 must form a diagonal triplet (three of same digit along a diagonal line) at least once.

6. Mathrax Sudoku (70 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Some intersections of the grid lines are marked by a number and an operator (+, -, X, /) in a circle. The number is the result of the operation, applied to both pairs of diagonally opposite cells. An “E” in the circle indicates that all four adjacent digits are even; an “O” indicates that all four adjacent digits are odd.

7. Max Ascending Sudoku (100 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Each clue adjacent to a row or column gives the exact length of the longest contiguous run of increasing digits within that row or that column, counting from the direction of the clue.

8. Quad Sums Sudoku (80 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. A dot at a corner implies that one digit is the sum of the remaining three digits at that corner. Not all dots are given.

9. Rossini Sudoku (110 points)


Apply classic Sudoku rules. Each arrow outside the grid indicates that the digits within the first box (till the next bold line) in the corresponding direction are in ascending order in the direction of the arrow. All such arrows are marked.

10.  Arrow or Thermo Sudoku (170 points)

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Each line is either a Thermo from the given bulb, or an Arrow with the given head. Exactly half of the lines are Thermos and half are Arrows.

Arrow Sudoku: Digits in the circled cells must be the sum of the digits along the arrow pointing out of it. Digits can repeat on the arrow.

Thermo Sudoku: Digits along each thermometer are strictly increasing from its bulb to each of its ends.

 

Round 4

General rules:

·        This round consists of 9 puzzles, 3 Classic Sudokus and 6 Sudoku Variants. The first and last puzzle are solvable by themselves.

·        In other puzzles, there are some arrows.

·        The digit from the same cell from the previous sudoku should be transferred to the downward- pointing arrow.

·        The digit from the same cell from the next sudoku should be transferred to the upward-pointing arrow.

·        Some sudokus may have multiple solutions but the complete round can be solved in only one way.

·        Partial points will be givenonly for every correct grid which is part of the complete solution.

·        Points will be awarded based on the number of sudokus solved correctly as part of the overall solution.

 

 

 

Variant Points
1 Sudoku 30 points
2 Sudokus 90 points
3 Sudokus 150 points
4 Sudokus 220 points
5 Sudokus 290 points
6 Sudokus 360 points
7 Sudokus 440 points
8 Sudokus 520 points
9 Sudokus 600 points

 

1,4,7. Classic Sudoku

Refer to rules and example in round 1.

2. Irregular Sudoku

Place a digit from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so that each digit appears exactly once in each row, column and each outlined region.

 

3. Product Frame Sudoku

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Numbers outside the grid equal the product of the first three numbers in the corresponding row or column in the given direction.

5. Palindrome

Apply classic Sudoku rules. The digits in the cells with the line form palindromes, i.e. they read the same from both the directions.

 

6. Sandwich

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sum of digits between 1 and 9 in the corresponding row or column.

8. Slot Machine

Apply classic Sudoku rules. The three shaded columns are like a slot machine. The 9 numbers they contain will be in the same sequence. (The strips wrap around the grid for the ordering)

9.  Clone Sudoku

Apply classic Sudoku rules. Digits in each corresponding cell in the shaded figures are identical.

Suggestions and value additions are most welcome

 

For regular updates, please register here

Subscribe

 

 

References and credits

To all the online sites and channels.

 

Disclaimer:

Information and data included in the blog are for educational & non-commercial purposes only and have been carefully adapted, excerpted, or edited from sources deemed reliable and accurate. All copyrighted material belongs to respective owners and is provided only for purposes of wider dissemination.

 

English हिंदी