The most complex sudoku puzzle in the world is widely known as “AI Escargot. It was created by the Finnish mathematician Arto Inkala in 2006 and is considered the most difficult sudoku puzzle ever created.
Who is Arto Inkala?
Inkala was born on April 26, 1967, in Helsinki, Finland, and developed an interest in mathematics at an early age.
In 1994, Inkala received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Helsinki, and he has worked as a researcher and mathematics teacher ever since. He has published several research papers in mathematics with an emphasis on combinatorial constructions and number theory.
In addition to his scientific work, Inkala is also a prolific puzzle designer. He has created many puzzles, including Sudoku puzzles, Kakuro puzzles, and other logical puzzles. His most famous creation, however, is undoubtedly the Sudoku AI Escargot puzzle, which has received worldwide acclaim for its extreme level of difficulty.
Inkala has received numerous awards and prizes for his work in mathematics and puzzle design, including the 2011 Microsoft Puzzle Master Award. Despite his many accomplishments, he remains humble and closed-minded, preferring to stay out of the public eye.
“AI Escargot”
The name “AI Escargot” comes from the pattern of the solution, which resembles a snail shell (“escargot” in French).
AI Escargot has stumped many Sudoku fans, even those with experience solving this puzzle. It requires advanced techniques, such as X-wings, swordfish, and coloring, which are more complex than the basic strategies used for simpler sudoku puzzles.
Despite its complexity, AI Escargot has been solved by many sudoku enthusiasts over the years, and there are even computer programs that can solve it. Nevertheless, it remains a popular problem for sudoku enthusiasts who are eager to push their skills to the limit.
If you want to try solving the AI Escargot puzzle on your own, be prepared for a long and complicated solution. This puzzle may take hours or even days to solve, but the feeling of accomplishment when you finally solve it is definitely worth the effort).
“Everest”
However, the professor didn’t stop there and created another challenging Sudoku called “Everest.” The professor believes that whoever conquers it will accomplish a real feat. Inkala specially invented “Everest” so that it could not be solved by anyone but the most talented athletes.
Most Sudoku are rated on a five-star scale, where five stars signify the most difficult puzzles. According to this rating system, Incala gave the Everest puzzle eleven stars.
P.S. Personally, I was able to solve “AI Escargot” and I am very proud of myself 😉
