FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

All About Sudoku Trivia Quiz

It's the addictive game that has swept the world! Come learn more about the origins of the new number game Sudoku. Five questions deal with theory, and five deal with history. All information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku#History

A multiple-choice quiz by adams627. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
adams627

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
278,804

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
1318

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 49 (5/10), Guest 158 (5/10), camhammer (3/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Sudoku, of course, comes from Japanese. Do you know what Sudoku means in that language though? Hint

The numbers must avoid each other.

The numbers must repeat.

The numbers must occur once.

The numbers must be scattered.

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Sudoku is commonly found in a grid-like pattern, with 81 squares, divided into 9 squares of 9 squares each. These dimensions are not standard for all puzzles, though. Which of the following is NOT a TOTAL number of squares that a Sudoku puzzle may contain? Hint

324

625

256

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. The placement of numbers in a Sudoku puzzle has more impact on the difficulty than the quantity of the numbers.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Some Sudoku puzzles go beyond the regular realm of difficulty and make it extremely difficult for the solver. What name is given to a regular-sized Sudoku puzzle where the original boxes and shaded interior areas between boxes both contain the numbers 1-9? Hint

Hypersudoku

Quincunx

Doublesudoku

Supersudoku

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. To seasoned puzzle solvers, it may be astonishing that no Sudoku grids are repeated in the hundreds of books that have been released. This is because there are approximately how many different puzzles with unique solutions? Hint

5 trillion

5 billion

5 quadrillion

5 million

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. The first Sudoku puzzles that resembled magic squares developed in what country in the early 20th century? Hint

Japan

Germany

United Kingdom

France

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. The originator of the modern Sudoku puzzle is in question. What man, a retired architect and puzzle creator, is said to have engineered the puzzle as we know it today? Hint

Howard Garns

Paul Graham Bunningway

Robert Penser

Herbert Buckley

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. On November 12, 2004, Sudoku got its first big break as a worldwide standout. What did Wayne Gould, a New Zealander who had seen a puzzle in a Japanese bookshop, do? Hint

He published a book entitled "Number Mania".

He hosted the Sudoku championships in London.

He went on American television and called Sudoku "the mixture of math and a crossword".

He submitted the puzzle to "The Times".

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Which of the following has had Sudoku as a prominent theme? Hint

A televised competition

A video game

A game show

All of these

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. No Sudoku quiz can be complete without this question. What man, renowned puzzle champion and designer of crosswords and math puzzles alike, has authored several Sudoku books, including colored 'belts' for difficulty? Hint

Trey Gathrow

Wilhelm Tilire

Will Shortz

Jonathan Harking

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Most Recent Scores

Mar 20 2024 : Guest 49: 5/10
Mar 16 2024 : Guest 158: 5/10
Mar 16 2024 : camhammer: 3/10
Mar 02 2024 : PurpleComet: 7/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Sudoku, of course, comes from Japanese. Do you know what Sudoku means in that language though?

Answer: The numbers must occur once.

Some people also say that it means "the numbers must be single". The numbers, however, aren't a necessary part. Any set of nine characters (or more) may be used. I've seen puzzles with letters, shapes, and even human faces!

Answer: 324

This problem can be solved mathematically. Let x= the width of one small square. The number of squares that exist on the entire board is (x^2)^2,or x^4. All of the answers are integers that have square roots of perfect squares except 324: a 16 square is a (2^2)^2, a 256 (4^2)^2, and a 625 (5^2)^2.

3. The placement of numbers in a Sudoku puzzle has more impact on the difficulty than the quantity of the numbers.

Answer: True

This surprised me quite a bit. In fact, the addition of new numbers would not be nearly as significant as simply moving some numbers around. Of course, some additions would be more helpful than others.

Answer: Hypersudoku

With 13 boxes to fill in these puzzles, the solver must continually consciously remember what box he or she was working in. One mess-up costs the puzzle. A quincunx sudoku consists of 5 9*9 grids overlapping in the corners. The other two names were made up.

Answer: 5 billion

This number represents essentially different grids. The different permutations for Sudoku answers that are correct tops out at over 6 sextillion, or 6 * 10^21!

6. The first Sudoku puzzles that resembled magic squares developed in what country in the early 20th century?

Answer: France

Two newspapers, "Le Siecle" and "La France" began by removing numbers from magic squares. Although arithmetic was a more important factor than logic in these early puzzles, they were the beginning of the Sudoku trend.

7. The originator of the modern Sudoku puzzle is in question. What man, a retired architect and puzzle creator, is said to have engineered the puzzle as we know it today?

Answer: Howard Garns

Sudoku puzzles were first published in word game books, and Garns' name always appeared if there were then-called "Number Place" puzzles in the book. Sadly, Garns died before he saw the rampage Sudoku took in the 21st century.

8. On November 12, 2004, Sudoku got its first big break as a worldwide standout. What did Wayne Gould, a New Zealander who had seen a puzzle in a Japanese bookshop, do?

Answer: He submitted the puzzle to "The Times".

Sudoku exploded when the first puzzle was published on that date. Both easy and hard puzzles were published side-by-side, and soon the entire world caught on.

9. Which of the following has had Sudoku as a prominent theme?

Answer: All of these

All of these and much, much more. Travel games, all software, and books by the hundreds have Sudoku in their names! The craze has swept everybody and everything!

Answer: Will Shortz

There are red belts, brown belts, green belts, white belts, and the impossibly hard black belts. All difficulty levels are available for solvers to try. The other names were fabricated.

I hope you enjoyed my quiz on the fad that has people all over the world saying "Where does the 4 go?!"

Source: Author adams627

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ozzz2002 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.