By: Marjorie Teresa R. Perez

SUDOKU Wizard champion Hazel Joy Shi

Inside the Cyberzone area of SM City North Edsa Annex, 103 participants have their heads bent over grids of numbers for the 3rd Philippine Sudoku Super Challenge National Finals, where the regional qualifiers from all over the country gathered to fight it out for the title of true Sudoku Whiz Kid, Sudoku Wizard and Sudoku Grand Master. These people were here to solve Sudoku with an intensity and speed that would leave your average commuter scratching his head.

These numbers are not the ones that matter in the championships, only the digits in every row and column and every 3×3 box. The complexity behind the simple rules of Sudoku has created the global addiction and given the Sudoku qualifiers the chance to solve some truly harder puzzles.

On the first round of the competition the finalists in the three categories were presented four types of Sudoku variants, such as 4×4 Mini Sudoku, 8×8 Alphabet Diagonal Mini Sudoku, Standard Sudoku and Jigsaw Sudoku, requiring the puzzlers to do much more than simply rattle through the grids. These were some amazing feats of speed in the classic puzzle rounds.

Power trio Millie Dizon, BM editor in chief Chuchay Fernandez and BM president Benjie Ramos

The second round saw five more challenging Sudoku puzzles—6×6 Mini Sudoku, Standard Sudoku, Odd/Even Sudoku, Sum or Killer Sudoku and Wordoku. In the third round, all contestants of the Sudoku Grand Master, Sudoku Wizard and Sudoku Whiz Kid categories solved another six types of Sudoku variants—8×8 Mini Sudoku, Standard Sudoku, +/-1 Sudoku, 9×9 Rhombus Sudoku, 9×9 Diagonal Sudoku and Maxi Turnover Sudoku.

The fourth round was for the contestants of the Sudoku Grand Master and Sudoku Wizard. They were given six types—Standard Sudoku, Hula-hoop, Three D Sudoku, More or Less Sudoku, Star Sudoku and Extra Region Sudoku.

EMCEES BM business development manager Joyette Perez and MTG trainor Joseph Wee.

The outstanding player of the tournament was a 14-year-old from Dagupan, Sarah Jane Cua, who answered correctly and completely the Mixed or Combined Sudoku in the final round. Coming close to Cua by one point is first runner-up John Robert Valcos from Bulacan. Second runner-up went to Jayhan Regner.

Other winners include Sudoku Whiz Kid champ Nathaniel Ryan Ang, first runner-up Timothy James Tan and second runner-up Mark Davidson Cua; Sudoku Wizard champ Hazel Joy Shi, first runner-up Brandon Ho and second runner-up Michelle Neri.

As the participants were preparing to depart, leaving spectators as mystified as when they arrived. One young shopper said: “It’s a bit weird for them competing all this way at the mall just to do the puzzle but I suppose it’s harmless enough.” And it meant that everyone got hooked at Sudoku.