RIP Maki Kaji

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Vandal
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RIP Maki Kaji

#1 Post by Vandal » Tue Aug 17, 2021 8:42 am

Maki Kaji, a creator of the popular numbers puzzle Sudoku whose life's work was spreading the joy of puzzles, has died, his Japanese company said Tuesday. He was 69 and had bile duct cancer.

Known as the “Godfather of Sudoku,” Kaji created the puzzle to be easy for children and others who didn’t want to think too hard. Its name is made up of the Japanese characters for “number” and “single,” and players place the numbers 1 through 9 in rows, columns and blocks without repeating them.

Ironically, it wasn’t until 2004 when Sudoku became a global hit, after a fan from New Zealand pitched it and got it published in the British newspaper The Times. Two years later, Japan rediscovered its own puzzle as a “gyakuyunyu,” or “reimport.”

Kaji was chief executive at his puzzle company, Nikoli Co., until July and died Aug. 10 at his home in Mitaka, a city in the Tokyo metro area.

Maki traveled to more than 30 countries spreading his enjoyment of puzzles. Sudoku championships have drawn some 200 million people in 100 countries over the years, according to Tokyo-based Nikoli.

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Re: RIP Maki Kaji

#2 Post by SportsFan68 » Mon Aug 23, 2021 8:38 pm

I love the Sudoku in our non-daily newspaper, and I had a great time with a newsstand book authored by Kaji and others. It has all levels of difficulty and features some where the numbers are arranged in a pattern on the grid -- loads of fun. This is it, still in print:

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-- In Iroquois society, leaders are encouraged to remember seven generations in the past and consider seven generations in the future when making decisions that affect the people.
-- America would be a better place if leaders would do more long-term thinking. -- Wilma Mankiller

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