Sudoku on page 391 of teletext

Other forms of the puzzle have included Channel 4’s teletext service having a daily Su Doku on page 391 and the Radio Times features a Super Sudoku. On Sky One, as a one-off, the world’s first televised Su Doku TV show was broadcast titled Sudoku Live. Nine teams, consisting of nine players in each, from regions throughout Britain took part by entering numbers with a hand held device with numbers corresponding to answers for four cells. The audience at home could take part through a separate interactive competition. As part of the publicity for the show an 84m square puzzle was carved into a hillside in Chipping Sodbury near Bristol in view of the M4 motorway. Claimed as the world’s largest Su Doku puzzle, it was found to have 1,905 correct solutions! There has even been a radio version on Radio 4’s Today programme.

St Louis hosts the worlds largest Sudoku event

Later this year in the US, the largest Su Doku tournament to date is scheduled to take place in St Louis. Participants from 32 regional tournaments will compete to become champions of their regions and then go on to play in the National Final with a prize of $50,000 at stake. Lucca in Italy will be host to the first world championship in March this year.

Other Sudoku versions

As well as the well-known numeric version, there are versions that use letters, two of which are the Penny Press’s Scramblets and Knight Features Syndicate’s Sudoku Word.