You would imagine that with such a name this puzzle originated in Japan, but it has been around for many years in the UK. However,the Japanese found an example under the title ’Number Place’ in an American magazine and translated it as something quite different:su meaning number; doku which translates as single or bachelor. It immediately caught on in Japan, where number puzzles are much more prevalent than word puzzles. Crosswords don’t work well in the Japanese language.

The sudoku puzzle reached craze status in Japan in 2004 and the craze spread to the UK through the puzzle pages of national newspapers. The Daily Telegraph uses the name Sudoku, but you may see it called su doku elsewhere. However, there is no doubt that the word has been adopted into modern parlance, much like crossword.

It’s the latest craze in games but there isn’t a computer graphic in sight... Addicts are as obsessed as 198os teenagers fixated on the Rubik’s Cube

Anyone craving a fresh challenge will welcome this second volume of sudoku from The Telegroph. It features 132 brand-new puzzles, each graded according to its level of difficulty. Start at the gentle level, work yourself through the moderate grids and once you’re warmed up try the tough and diabolical examples.No knowledge of arithmetic is required; all you need is a logical mind, a pencil and an eraser. Novices and experienced solvers alike will find Michael Mepham’s introductory tutorial an invaluable guide. and solutions are included in the back of the book。

Solvino Sudoku

 What is sudoku?

 The challenge

 About guessing

 Making a start

 The search for the lone number

 Twins

 Triplets

 Eliminate the extraneous

 Stepping up the sudoku action

 When all else fails

 Ariadne’s thread

 Tough sudokus

 Solving a diabolical puzzle with Ariadne’s thread

 The last word

Acknowledqements

The Puzzles

 Gentle

 Moderate

 Tough

 Diabolical

The Solutions

Sucloku worksheets