Japan's 'Father of Sudoku' Maki Kaji passes away at 69 in Tokyo

In a major setback for Sudoku lovers, the man behind the world famous puzzle game, who was known as the father of Sudoku, Maki Kaji, passed away at the age of 69 at his residence in Japan. According to an official notice issued by Nikoli Puzzles, "Maki Kaji, who spread the love of puzzles throughout the world as the "Godfather of Sudoku," passed away at 10:54pm on August 10, 2021, at his home in Tokyo. The cause of death was bile duct cancer". The company further said it will hold a memorial gathering and will announce Nikoli’s URL to join the meeting shortly.

Father of Sudoku, Maki Kaji passed away at 69

Maki Kaji is a household name among puzzle lovers across the world, and specifically in Japan. Kaji is regarded as the father of Sudoku for his role in introducing the numerical brainteaser to the whole world, which is today loved by millions. Kaji, who later became a popular figure in the world of puzzles, was a university dropout who worked for a printing company before launching Japan's most engaging game magazine. Although the concept of the puzzle was invented by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in the 18th century, the modern version of the brainteaser was developed by Kaji.

The Japanese word Sudoku stands for a phrase which means, "each number must be single". The game requires a player to arrange the numbers one to nine in an inbox made up of 81 squares, and the rule of the game is simple: no numbers should be repeated in any of the nine vertical or horizontal lines. Moreover, the game also has an interesting twist. The grid is also subdivided into nine blocks containing nine single squares which should contain all the numbers from 1–9.

More about Sudoku

Despite its Japanese name, Sudoku is a popular game outside Japan, and it has been 20 years since all the leading newspapers across the world have printed it. The game is often regarded as an exercise for the brain. However, it has also been proved that playing Sudoku sharpens the intellect of a person, improves concentration, enhances problem-solving skills, strengthens thinking skills, and improves memory.

If reports are to be believed, as many as 100 million people across the world are engaged in solving puzzles regularly. Since 2006, the world championship has been held annually, where people from across the globe come to prove their mental sharpness. Over the years, Kaji has created many refined and advanced models of the puzzles based on the feedback of the players. He stepped down as the company's head in July this year due to ill health. In an interview with the BBC in 2007, Kaji said that creating a new puzzle was like "finding treasure" for him. He said, "it was not the money that mattered, but the pure excitement of trying to solve it was the thing".

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