Free Sudoku Puzzles, Sudoku Apps and More

The modern form of Sudoku was invented in the late 1970's by an American puzzle maker by the name of Howard Garnes. His puzzle, termed 'Number Place', appeared in a 1979 publication by Dell Magazines but wasn't an immediate success and certainly not the worldwide phenomenon we see today.

Instead, it took the Japanese to make 'Number Place' a success when it was published by Nikoli in 1986 under the name of sudoku (a shortened version of the phrase Suji wa dokushin ni kagiru) which roughly translates as "the numbers must remain single" or "the numbers must occur only once"...which is ultimately the general rule of the puzzle.

Sudoku hit worldwide popularity around 2005 when a succession of national newspapers, websites and other publications jumped on the bandwagon and made this one of the world's most popular logic puzzles.

The Kindle Fire eReader is an amazingly versatile device and it's not just for reading ebooks either as anyone who has experienced sudoku on the Kindle Fire will tell you. The plethora of sudoku puzzles for Kindles turns an already excellent eReader into a puzzle lovers dream, putting millions of interactive puzzles at your fingertips at a far cheaper cost than buying single use books, magazines, etc.

Rules and Introduction For Sudoku Beginners

Many people are put off by the numbers appearing on the sudoku grid, automatically assuming there is some kind of maths or calculation involved before getting to know the rules.

Rest assured, sudoku doesn't require you to be a mathematics genius to play and in fact, there are many sudoku variations out there which do not even use numbers at all.

Instead, sudoku requires a combination of logic and deduction and can be enjoyed by both children and adults as the rules are very simple to learn.

If you can place numbers in squares, you can play sudoku.

The Objective and Rules of Sudoku

The basic sudoku grid has 81 squares, consisting of 9 rows, 9 columns and 9 smaller 3x3 blocks.

Some of the numbers which will comprise the solution to your sudoku puzzle are given, the rest you will have to deduce by following a set of three rules.

1. Every row must consist of every number 1 through 9 with no duplication.

2. Every column must consist of every number 1 through 9 with no duplication.

3. Every 3 by 3 block must include every number 1 through 9 with no duplication.

There are larger and smaller sudoku puzzles but whatever the size, the rules remain the same. For example, in a 16x16 puzzle (256 squares), the numbers 1 through 16 are used instead, but the rules for filling in the squares remain the same.

If you can't get enough sudoku then check out some of the free sudoku sites listed below. There are thousands, if not millions of free sudokus available at these sites and all over the internet to play directly through your internet browser with no downloads or other jiggery pokery.

The following selection of links offers a starting point for anyone wondering how to write and create their own sudoku program.

OK so now it's time for y'all to have your say on the biggest logic puzzle phenomenom since the Rubik's Cube. Do you love it, or do you hate it? Inquiring minds want to know just what your opinion is!

Is Sudoku The Best Logic Puzzle Game Ever Or An Overhyped Yawn-a-thon?

Looking for something fun for the Sudoku player in your life? Trying to find a gift idea which isn't another off-the-shelf puzzle book? Then check out these hand-selected fun and funky sudoku gift ideas!

1. Sudoku Loo Roll

Sudoku for the smallest room in the house. Utterly ridiculous and very fun, Sudoku toilet paper is a fully functional toilet roll with a new sudoku puzzle printed on every sheet. Make a mistake - flush it and no one will know. A great joke gift for a sudoku addict.

2. Rudoku

Devised by a team lead by Professor Hugh Janus at the University of Scunthorpe (or most probably not!) the book of Rudoku is quite literally "Rude Sudoku"! Replacing numbers with letters and featuring a hidden smutty phrase this filthy book of naughty sudoku puzzles is a unique sudoku gift for the pervert in everyone. Features a glossary of rude terms at the back so you can find out just what those obscure hidden words actually mean...

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