2008 Woodie Awards
Philly competition attracts national 'puzzle-heads'
Amy Saltzman
Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: Mosaic
Breakfast at the McBride household in Wilmington took a competitive turn when university senior Eric McBride introduced his younger brother to sudoku, a game their father had taught him in high school.
"It became a race to see who got to the paper first in the morning to claim the puzzle," McBride says.
Newspaper sudoku puzzles aren't just complements to breakfast and morning coffee anymore. The mass appeal of sudoku has gained national popularity within a few short years, making the puzzle more than a filler of free time. In response to the sudoku mania, The Philadelphia Inquirer sponsored the first National Sudoku Championship this weekend at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Ed Mahlman, chief marketing officer at Philadelphia Media Holdings LLC, says the popularity of sudoku inspired the Philadelphia Inquirer staff to begin to research if there was a national competition for the puzzle.
"The game has really come on very strong over the past few years," Mahlman says. "We couldn't believe that, considering the popularity of sudoku, there hadn't ever been a national competition."
The event, which was hosted by puzzle expert Will Shortz, the U.S. representative for the World Puzzle Federation and author of numerous sudoku books, started with a meet-and-greet with Shortz on Friday. The competition followed Saturday.
Mahlman describes the initial process of the competition as "self-selecting," where participants decided the category in which they wanted to compete - beginner, intermediate or advanced. He says people generally placed themselves in the appropriate group because the cash prizes increased with the level of difficulty.
The beginner-level winner, Lori DesRuisseaux, received $3,000, the intermediate prize of $5,000 went to Ron Osher and the advanced-level winner, Thomas Snyder, received $10,000 in addition to a spot on the U.S. sudoku team, which will compete for the world title in Goa, India in March.
"I think this may be the largest cash prize that has ever been offered for any puzzle competition," Mahlman says.
The finals took place on Saturday. The three people who completed their puzzles in the fastest times for their respective category then entered the finals to compete for the cash prize.
Shortz says Snyder's win was not a surprise.
"He is something amazing," Shortz says.
Mahlman says he believes the appeal of sudoku goes beyond the cash prize the competition offers to its contradictory nature of being simple to learn but difficult to master.
"To me, it's just the fact that the puzzle itself is so easy to understand," he says. "You don't have to have any particular math knowledge, even though it's about numbers. It's difficult, but it's also a logic game."
Shortz says puzzles have been a lifelong interest.
"I've been a puzzle-head all my life," he says. "I started making my first puzzles when I was 8 or 9."
For Shortz, the appeal of puzzles has a somewhat cosmic significance.
"Puzzles in general, I think, they give you a sense of being in control and putting the universe in order," Shortz says. "With puzzles, you see the whole process through. Each puzzle you solve is a little mystery."
McBride says these days, he finds himself addicted to the puzzles.
"I usually tend to do something intensely for a while and then stop," he says. "For some reason, sudoku stuck."
While working as a summer camp counselor, McBride went so far as to slightly abuse his counselor privileges and play sudoku in his campers' books.
"The last book I had, I confiscated from a camper who shouldn't have had it at free swim," he says.
McBride says he began doing sudokus more frequently as a freshman in college, and the sense of success upon completing a puzzle was always encouragement to continue with the hobby.
"If you get it, you get it, and it feels good to accomplish it," McBride says.
However, he says a sudoku competition is not something with which he would want to be involved.
"I'm competitive, so I wouldn't like to lose," McBride says. "Also, I don't like being rushed with the puzzles. I like to take my time."
Shortz, who is the crossword-puzzle editor at The New York Times, agrees competitions aren't always the most entertaining aspect of puzzle playing. Sometimes, he prefers to be a silent spectator.
"If I'm taking the train to New York, I'll walk the aisles to see if someone's doing my puzzle in the Times," he says. "If they do well with it, I'll kind of reach over and introduce myself to them. If they don't do well, well then it's my little secret I suppose."
McBride's camp experiences and Shortz's New York commutes prove sudoku doesn't target a specific demographic.
Sudoku players range from kids in summer camp and college students bored in class to adults passing time on the train to work.
Mahlman says it would be difficult to characterize the typical sudoku player.
"It really has surprisingly broad appeal demographically," he says.
In addition to doing puzzles for enjoyment or competition, McBride says there may be another motive for students to pick up their daily papers and flip to the puzzle section.
"I heard that sudoku puzzles are supposed to help you with the LSATs because they have a logic section too," he says.
Shortz's unusual educational background supports this rumor.
"I have the world's only degree in enigmatology, the study of puzzles," Shortz says. "My parents encouraged it as a hobby, not dreaming that I would actually choose this as a career."
His degree in puzzles took a surprising turn when Shortz decided to go to law school.
"I have a law degree from the University of Virginia, and I think my degree in puzzles helped me get into law school," Shortz says. "I did take the LSAT and did very well on it because I love puzzles."
McBride says playing sudoku may transform studying into a more bearable chore.
"People may unknowingly be turning free time into study time if they're playing sudoku," he says.
"It became a race to see who got to the paper first in the morning to claim the puzzle," McBride says.
Newspaper sudoku puzzles aren't just complements to breakfast and morning coffee anymore. The mass appeal of sudoku has gained national popularity within a few short years, making the puzzle more than a filler of free time. In response to the sudoku mania, The Philadelphia Inquirer sponsored the first National Sudoku Championship this weekend at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Ed Mahlman, chief marketing officer at Philadelphia Media Holdings LLC, says the popularity of sudoku inspired the Philadelphia Inquirer staff to begin to research if there was a national competition for the puzzle.
"The game has really come on very strong over the past few years," Mahlman says. "We couldn't believe that, considering the popularity of sudoku, there hadn't ever been a national competition."
The event, which was hosted by puzzle expert Will Shortz, the U.S. representative for the World Puzzle Federation and author of numerous sudoku books, started with a meet-and-greet with Shortz on Friday. The competition followed Saturday.
Mahlman describes the initial process of the competition as "self-selecting," where participants decided the category in which they wanted to compete - beginner, intermediate or advanced. He says people generally placed themselves in the appropriate group because the cash prizes increased with the level of difficulty.
The beginner-level winner, Lori DesRuisseaux, received $3,000, the intermediate prize of $5,000 went to Ron Osher and the advanced-level winner, Thomas Snyder, received $10,000 in addition to a spot on the U.S. sudoku team, which will compete for the world title in Goa, India in March.
"I think this may be the largest cash prize that has ever been offered for any puzzle competition," Mahlman says.
The finals took place on Saturday. The three people who completed their puzzles in the fastest times for their respective category then entered the finals to compete for the cash prize.
Shortz says Snyder's win was not a surprise.
"He is something amazing," Shortz says.
Mahlman says he believes the appeal of sudoku goes beyond the cash prize the competition offers to its contradictory nature of being simple to learn but difficult to master.
"To me, it's just the fact that the puzzle itself is so easy to understand," he says. "You don't have to have any particular math knowledge, even though it's about numbers. It's difficult, but it's also a logic game."
Shortz says puzzles have been a lifelong interest.
"I've been a puzzle-head all my life," he says. "I started making my first puzzles when I was 8 or 9."
For Shortz, the appeal of puzzles has a somewhat cosmic significance.
"Puzzles in general, I think, they give you a sense of being in control and putting the universe in order," Shortz says. "With puzzles, you see the whole process through. Each puzzle you solve is a little mystery."
McBride says these days, he finds himself addicted to the puzzles.
"I usually tend to do something intensely for a while and then stop," he says. "For some reason, sudoku stuck."
While working as a summer camp counselor, McBride went so far as to slightly abuse his counselor privileges and play sudoku in his campers' books.
"The last book I had, I confiscated from a camper who shouldn't have had it at free swim," he says.
McBride says he began doing sudokus more frequently as a freshman in college, and the sense of success upon completing a puzzle was always encouragement to continue with the hobby.
"If you get it, you get it, and it feels good to accomplish it," McBride says.
However, he says a sudoku competition is not something with which he would want to be involved.
"I'm competitive, so I wouldn't like to lose," McBride says. "Also, I don't like being rushed with the puzzles. I like to take my time."
Shortz, who is the crossword-puzzle editor at The New York Times, agrees competitions aren't always the most entertaining aspect of puzzle playing. Sometimes, he prefers to be a silent spectator.
"If I'm taking the train to New York, I'll walk the aisles to see if someone's doing my puzzle in the Times," he says. "If they do well with it, I'll kind of reach over and introduce myself to them. If they don't do well, well then it's my little secret I suppose."
McBride's camp experiences and Shortz's New York commutes prove sudoku doesn't target a specific demographic.
Sudoku players range from kids in summer camp and college students bored in class to adults passing time on the train to work.
Mahlman says it would be difficult to characterize the typical sudoku player.
"It really has surprisingly broad appeal demographically," he says.
In addition to doing puzzles for enjoyment or competition, McBride says there may be another motive for students to pick up their daily papers and flip to the puzzle section.
"I heard that sudoku puzzles are supposed to help you with the LSATs because they have a logic section too," he says.
Shortz's unusual educational background supports this rumor.
"I have the world's only degree in enigmatology, the study of puzzles," Shortz says. "My parents encouraged it as a hobby, not dreaming that I would actually choose this as a career."
His degree in puzzles took a surprising turn when Shortz decided to go to law school.
"I have a law degree from the University of Virginia, and I think my degree in puzzles helped me get into law school," Shortz says. "I did take the LSAT and did very well on it because I love puzzles."
McBride says playing sudoku may transform studying into a more bearable chore.
"People may unknowingly be turning free time into study time if they're playing sudoku," he says.
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