Sudoku is chosen by students, entrepreneurs, retirees, teachers, managers, salesmen, labourers and many others. It seems that the puzzle has become a world "bestseller". Since 2006 the Sudoku World Cup has been held with a prize fund of several tens of thousands of dollars. The game can be played not only "on paper" (magazines, newspapers, special editions of the "fat girl" format), but also online (a smartphone, tablet or mobile phone is enough).
Let's analyse what caused the popularity of logic puzzles in Russia, CIS countries, post-Soviet space and not only.
"To stretch your brains" and "to move your brains"
Sudoku is an intellectual game that requires "switching on". The main cognitive skills that the puzzle is characterised by are:
- making decisions quickly;
- warm-up for the brain, activation of the left hemisphere;
- identification of patterns (typical situations);
- application of logic.
The game is needed to:
- switch;
- distract from routine;
- relieve stress;
- to stretch your brain;
- to get new emotions;
- activate the left hemisphere, and so on.
Solving a puzzle allows you to switch on different parts of the brain. When the coveted number is entered into the cell, there is a release of endorphin. The player feels a burst of energy and strength.
Strategies and tactics on how to calculate missing numbers in Sudoku can vary. Some players scan the grid looking for the correct option. Others try to look at columns and rows to make it easier to identify the numbers.
There are techniques, techniques and strategies that are used by participants in world championships. There are also techniques developed through years of experience.
The game is step by step
Sudoku puzzle is a game that doesn't tolerate fuss and speed. In the game, you have to place numbers on a grid one by one.
Each inscribed value brings the user one step closer to solving the whole puzzle and winning. Each solution to the puzzle is unique. There are millions of different combinations possible on the grid. At first, filling the grid can be slow and "dragging" (especially on complex sudoku). But the player does not need to despair: move, solve, enter numbers. There will come a "turning point", after which the task will be able to "snap like a nut".
Each new number in the cell brings the pleasure of achieving the goal.
Order, restraint, control of emotions
The puzzle does not tolerate emotional decisions made "hastily" and "in haste". Sudoku cultivates endurance, control of emotions, and the ability to keep a sober mind even in stressful situations.
The game is based on creating order through step-by-step detailed puzzle solving with clear rules and goals.
The puzzle becomes something like an "island of order" in everyday life, which is full of disorder, chaos, and emotional decisions.
If you want to distract yourself from routine, stretch your brain, cope with stress, you should open Sudoku and dive into the world of numbers. And what was your personal record for solving difficult, medium and easy Sudoku?
