History of Sudoku
Number puzzles have appeared in newspapers since the late 19th century. Some say the modern version of Sudoku was designed by Howard Garns, a 74-year-old retired architect from Indiana, and first published in 1979 by Dell Magazines as Number Place. The recent surge in the game’s popularity started in 2004 when the puzzles began showing up in newspapers around the world. The first World Sudoku Championship was held in Lucca, Italy in March of 2006. The winner was Jana Tylova of the Czech Republic. See all past World Sudoku Championship winners.