Journalism of Courage
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If solving sudoku and puzzles is your idea of a good time, then we’ve got exciting news. Logic Masters India (LMI), the local chapter of the World Puzzle Federation, is opening up the last of its Indian qualifiers for the World Puzzle and Sudoku Championships.
LMI asks participants to compete in all its qualifiers — which begin in February — and selects the top overall scorers for the Indian Sudoku and Puzzle Championship finals. The winners of these finals form the Indian team and are sent to their respective World Championships.
But in their hunt for Team India this year, LMI is willing to do things differently — by allowing a potential-based wildcard entry to the national finals. So if you missed most of the qualifiers and fear a lower score by signing up now, don’t worry. You could still make the cut, says Prasanna Seshadri, a core team member at LMI.
“If someone is showing enthusiasm and interest with a bit of talent (in the qualifiers), the organisers reserve the right to grant them a special wildcard entry to the National Championship finals”, confirms Seshadri.
What does that mean for you? A seat at the table to play and learn from India’s best puzzle solvers, and becoming a part of a niche, but passionate community. Since there is little public awareness about these contests, LMI wants the wildcard option to encourage last-minute signups.
Seshadri also hopes this will help them discover sharp new solvers who could be moulded into champions. There is no age limit or registration fee to sign up for the qualifiers.
Sudoku, puzzle national qualifiers: How to register
> Visit logicmastersindia.com/register.asp and complete the one-time registration. This will let you take part in all LMI events.
> For the Sudoku Mahabharat qualifiers, there are four rounds of classic and variant sudokus. Three rounds are already over. The remaining round, ‘Math and Irregular’ sudoku, will be held from May 27 – June 1.
> To participate, visit the link: logicmastersindia.com/live/main?contest=SM202204&online=true. You’ll get 90 minutes to solve multiple sudokus after clicking on ‘Start’. For more info, see logicmastersindia.com/SM/2022sm.asp
> For the Puzzle Ramayan qualifiers, there are a total of six rounds of visual, word and number puzzles. This has two remaining rounds left: ‘Loops & Shading’ from June 3 – 8 and ‘MII & Object Placement’ from June 17 – 22.
> To participate, visit their respective links (on logicmastersindia.com/PR/2022pr.asp) once their qualifier windows open. You’ll get 60 minutes to solve each puzzle round.
> Instruction guides for the qualifiers (with examples of puzzles and how to submit answers) will be uploaded on the rounds’ pages close to their opening dates. The guide for the ‘Math and Irregular’ sudoku is already live.
> If you’d like to print and solve the qualifier puzzles, follow this FAQ: logicmastersindia.com/lmitests/FAQ2021.pdf
India’s top solvers ready to coach new blood
Despite the lack of recognition, India’s performance in global puzzle contests has been commendable. Seshadri and his friend Rohan Rao have been the country’s best solvers, leading the charge for the last 10 years while running workshops and events to build interest.
While Seshadri holds the record for India’s best-ever rank (7th) at the World Sudoku Championship, Rao is India’s overall reigning champ for sudoku and puzzles, with 9 national sudoku golds, 5 national puzzle golds, and strong performances at both World Championships.
Both Rao and Seshadri are part of the Logic Masters India Discord server, which buzzes with activity before the qualifiers. Seshadri recommends that new solvers join it for guidance, to clear doubts and get familiar with the sudoku and puzzle variants used in contests. These variants differ from the classic grids found in newspapers. First-time solvers of variant grids tend to feel overwhelmed, so it’s essential to get an early look.
In 2019, Team India finished 5th at the World Sudoku Championship, and 12th at the World Puzzle Championship. This year’s World Finals will unfold in Krakow, Poland. LMI believes that new blood on the Indian Team will help them rank better.
“There is room for improvement,” feels Seshadri, “and strong potential for talented new solvers to break barriers further than we already have.”
