I have discovered a new game in the last couple of years that takes up way too much of my time. It is called sudoku and is the ultimate mind challenger. The game is very simple on the surface but boy it can get complex before you know it. I searched the Internet for information about my newfound passion. From the information I have been able to gather it appears the sudoku game has it origins in the 1700s by a Swiss mathematician named Leonhard Euler. There was a game called "Number Place" in puzzle books put out by Dell in the 1970s that can be traced back to Leonhard Euler.

In Japanese, sudoku means, "numbers singly". As you discover the rules you will see why this important. The Sudoku puzzle was discovered in the late 90s in Japan and was pitched to various newspapers and finally the New York Post started publishing the sudoku puzzle in 2005. The rules to solve a sudoku are very simple. The puzzle consists of 3 by 3 blocks with 9 squares in each block.

You have to put the numbers 1 through 9 in each block without repeating any numbers. Here are some things to remember. You must put the numbers 1 through 9 in each horizontal row. Each number can only be used once. You must put the numbers 1 through 9 in each vertical row. Each number can only be used once.

Each block of 9 must only have the numbers 1 through 9 and once again you cannot repeat numbers. You get somewhat of a head start because some of the numbers are filled in for you. The puzzles usually come in three versions easy, moderate, and challenging. The easier the puzzle is the more numbers you are provided with already filled in. There are lots of schools of thoughts on the best way to solve your sudoku puzzle but I like to start with the obvious.

I will look for any numbers I can pin down immediately. I will always start with these freebies. The next thing I try to do is go row by row and fill in any numbers I can.

I then look at the square and fill in what I see that is missing. Lastly I look at the big picture and fill in the remaining numbers. If I am lucky before I know it all the blocks are filled with the correct numbers.

Even though Sudoku puzzles often seem simple a new craze is upon us. More newspapers and magazines all over the world are printing the puzzles all the time. Try out one of the sudoku puzzles you finding your local paper and see what you think.

Your local newsstand should be full of paperback sudoku books. Sudoku puzzles can help keep your mind sharp and that is one of the most important things you can do for yourself.

For more information on sudoku puzzles try visiting http://www.sudokufan.net where you will quickly and easily find resources and information on a variety of sudoku game topics.