Journalism of Courage
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It was 17-year-old Nityant Agarwal’s first time at an offline sudoku contest—not a school event, mind you, but the back-breaking finals of the Indian Sudoku Championship (ISC).
Combined with the Indian Puzzle Championship, the ISC is the country’s most difficult brain games contest, its veteran winners famously hard to beat. But with a clean sweep at earlier playoffs, and a stellar debut at the finals, Nityant will now be the youngest-ever member of India’s A-team at the World Sudoku Championship (WSC).
The country’s current A-team makes for a defining shift in perception for those who still think sudoku is ‘a game for the old’. Most of the team was under 20 when they first won a ticket to the WSC. This team of circuit regulars comprises Prasanna Seshadri (this year’s ISC winner and a full-time puzzle constructor), Kishore Kumar Sridharan and Pranav Kamesh S, 17-year-old Nityant joining them as a fresh face, and Jaipal Reddy Mogiligundla, a reserve player.
The WSC, organised by the World Puzzle Federation, is held in a different global city each year, and 2022’s contest will be held in Krakow, Poland from October 16 to 19. “I’m very excited to represent India this year and meet new people from various countries,” says Nityant, who aims to learn by playing against the world’s fastest solvers.
India has been competing in the WSC since 2006. Despite this long-running tradition, many Indian players in the past have had to either fund themselves for the trip abroad, or depend on employers for a helping hand.
Prasanna, who is this year’s team leader, shares that the sponsorship per member would be just shy of Rs 1.5 lakh each, including flights, visa and the participation fees. “The team has pretty much decided they’re coming anyway,” he confirms, adding that if any sponsor would like to support them, they can reach out by early October.
India’s sudoku contests are primarily run by Logic Masters India, of which Prasanna and Kishore are long-term members. Post their return from the WSC, Prasanna intends to start planning next year’s ISC qualifiers early. If you’re keen to participate for 2023, our previous story on the ISC is a good primer on how the tournament works. You can read it here.
