In October 2026, Kolkata will become the world capital of sudoku. The 19th World Sudoku Championship will be held here, bringing together experienced logic puzzle solvers from different countries.
When and where the championship will take place
The 2026 World Sudoku Championship will be held from October 11 to 15 at The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat hotel in Kolkata, India. The event is organized by Logic Masters India — the official representative of India in the World Puzzle Federation.
Championship programme
- October 11 Arrival of participants, opening ceremony, and Q&A session with the organizers.
- October 12 First competition day.
- October 13 Second competition day and awards ceremony.
- October 14 Excursion programme.
- October 15 Departure of participants.
After the conclusion of the sudoku competitions in Kolkata, the World Puzzle Championship will continue. The full programme of the World Sudoku & Puzzle Championship 2026 is scheduled from October 11 to 18.
Participants from different countries
At the time of preparing this news, participation in the World Sudoku Championship has been confirmed by 121 people from 24 countries. The list continues to be updated as registration is completed.
Individual and team awards will be contested at the championship. An official national team may include up to four participants. To qualify for the event, players usually go through a selection process via national organizations that are members of the World Puzzle Federation.
registered participants
countries
The championship theme will be the "Mahabharata"
The competition rounds of the 19th World Championship will be dedicated to the characters and events of the ancient Indian epic "Mahabharata".
The organizers have prepared 18 thematic episodes telling the stories of the work's heroes and the key events of the plot. These stories will serve as the basis for the design of the individual rounds of the championship. However, knowledge of the epic will not be required to solve the puzzles.
Detailed rules, sudoku variants, and the structure of the competition rounds will be published in the official instruction booklet closer to the start of the championship.
Time to prepare for the championship
The World Championship is one of the year's main events for sudoku enthusiasts. While professional players prepare for the competition, every puzzle lover can train their attention, speed, and logical thinking by solving sudokus of varying difficulty levels every day.
Source: official website of the World Sudoku & Puzzle Championship 2026 .
