08/17/2021 5:23 AM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 08/17/2021 5:23 AM
Japanese
Maki Kaji, known as "the godfather of Sudoku
puzzles
"
for his role in popularizing these number puzzles, has died at the age of 69 a victim of cancer, according to his editorial, Nikoli, reported on Monday.
Kaji actually died on August 10 from
bile duct cancer
, explained in a brief statement published on its website the firm, the first puzzle company in Japan, founded by this Japanese lover of this type of mathematical puzzle.
"Mr. Kaji, known as the godfather of Sudoku,
was loved by puzzle fans around the world
. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone," they said from Nikoli.
Maki Kaji, "the godfather of Sudoku, died
The basic concept of this number crossword, in which you have to fill in a grid of 9x9 blocks with nine boxes in each one so that no column contains the same number from 1 to 9, was
invented by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in the 19th century. XVIII
, but its popularity would not explode until a few years ago.
Its internationalization was largely due to the Japanese publisher, who began publishing a hobby section in the Monthly Nikolist magazine in the mid-1980s and
popularized the current name
by which we refer to this hobby.
Sudoku is a contraction of the Japanese phrase "each number must be individual".
Since 2006, a
Sudoku World Championship
has been held
annually, although the 2020 one was canceled due to the pandemic and the 2021 one is still on the air.
Maki Kaji, "the godfather of Sudoku", has died.
Photo Joseph Kaczmarek / AP
Kaji said in an interview with the BBC in 2007 that the new puzzle
was like "finding treasure
.
"
"It is not that it can generate money, it is
the pure emotion of trying to solve it,
" he said.
With information from EFE
DB
Look also
Cognitive gymnastics by WhatsApp and other proposals for older adults in quarantine
Selective forgetfulness and “generic” memories: the enigmas of memory explained by two Argentine scientists
