I’ve only been to one World Sudoku Championship, and today I want to share my memories.
The 2019 World Sudoku Championship in Kirchheim, Germany, was an extraordinary event that gathered some of the best Sudoku players from all over the world. The competition lasted for three days and included a range of challenging Sudoku puzzles that put the players’ skills and abilities to the test.
I flew in two days in advance and had time to walk around the city before the tournament started.
The championship comprised both individual and team events, with the individual competition divided into several rounds of puzzles, ranging from easy to extremely difficult. The players had a set time to complete each puzzle, and the scores were tallied based on the number of correct solutions and the time taken to complete each round. The championship also featured a team event, where teams of three players competed against each other to solve a series of puzzles, requiring high degrees of teamwork, communication, and collaboration among the team members.
In the individual competition, Prasanna Seshadri from India emerged as the winner, earning the gold medal for his impressive performance in solving a range of Sudoku puzzles. Tetsuya Nishio from Japan and Jakub Ondrousek from the Czech Republic secured the silver and bronze medals, respectively, for their outstanding performances in the competition.
The team event was won by a team from Japan, comprising Taro Arimatsu, Kota Morinishi, and Tomoya Kimura. The Japanese team exhibited an excellent level of teamwork and coordination, solving the puzzles quickly and accurately to secure the top spot. The Czech Republic and China teams won the silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the team event.
The championship also featured several other categories, including the Sudoku GP and the Sudoku Variants GP. The Sudoku GP was won by Kota Morinishi from Japan, while the Sudoku Variants GP was won by Tiit Vunk from Estonia.
In addition to the individual and team competitions, the championship also featured a Kids’ Sudoku Championship, won by Matteo Bresadola from Italy. The Kids’ Sudoku Championship offered a great opportunity for young Sudoku enthusiasts to demonstrate their skills and abilities and compete against other children from around the world.
Overall, the 2019 World Sudoku Championship was a remarkable event that united some of the world’s best Sudoku players and enthusiasts. The participants demonstrated an impressive level of skill and ability in solving a range of Sudoku puzzles, and the event provided an excellent platform for players to showcase their talents and share their passion for Sudoku with others. The organizers did an excellent job of putting together a well-organized and challenging event that was enjoyed by all who participated.
I had planned to participate in other competitions, but the COVID 19 pandemic ruined all my plans. I might not make it to the next championship until 2023.
