Hayabusa Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Sudoku, the numbers puzzle that claims 167 million U.S. players, held its first national championship on Saturday, drawing more than 800 people from as far away as California and British Columbia. Organizers said the event attracted a larger crowd than expected, and proved the popularity of the puzzle that has been a fixture in many U.S. newspapers since 2005, after being popularized by The Times of London the previous year. A survey last summer by the Philadelphia Inquirer, which sponsored the event, found 56 percent of the U.S. population had played the game -- invented in the United States but named Sudoku in Japan. The Philadelphia event was won by Sudoku's reigning world champion, Thomas Snyder, 27, who completed the "advanced" section in seven minutes, eight seconds -- about three minutes ahead of his nearest rival -- and took home the first prize of $10,000. Snyder, a postdoctoral student of bioengineering at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, and a Harvard University PhD. in chemistry, said he had been playing puzzles including Sudoku since he was 5 years old but had only been into "competitive puzzling" for the last 2 1/2 years. Secrets of his success included "note-taking that's designed for speed," he said, adding that he looked forward to defending his world title in India next year. But he stressed that he treated puzzling as just a hobby, and did not see it as a "meaningful" activity. Alicia Leshner, 46, an intensive care nurse from Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, was also playing the advanced category but entertained no thoughts of winning. "I just like puzzles," she said. "I do a lot of crossword puzzles. It takes me away from all the other things I have to worry about." Jennifer Maienza, 49, a kindergarten teacher from Laurel Springs, New Jersey, said she entered the contest because her husband dared her, and because she wanted to meet the event's host, Will Shortz, puzzle master of The New York Times. "He's the Bruce Springsteen of puzzles," Maienza said. The 857 contestants, aged 6 to 87, supported by about 300 spectators, sat in silence for 30 minutes at a time to tackle three rounds of Sudoku, which requires players to fill in blanks in a grid of numbers without repeating them vertically, horizontally, or in four quadrants within the grid. The game's popularity is explained by the fact that anyone can do it, as opposed to crossword puzzles, which assume a certain vocabulary and some cultural knowledge, said Jay Devine, a spokesman for the Philadelphia event. "Sudoku cuts across all that and allows young and old alike to play it," he said. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071020/us_nm/usa_sudoku_dc HOW IS THIS WORTHY NEWS MATERIAL? SOME KID WON A NEWSPAPER TYPE PUZZLE GAME! THERES HELLA REALLLLL ATHLETES OUT THERE BUSTING THEIR ASS AND NO ONE EVER GIVES THEM ANY RECOGNITION. HELL WHO KNOWS WHAT MORE THAN HALF OF THOSE KIDS ARE DOING FOR THE COUNTRY BUT ITS SURE AS HELL MORE IMPORTANT THAN THIS KID WINNING IN SUDOKU WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO???????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
podrido Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 everyone and thing should have their own time to shine haha but it is mad nerd and i would go in there and scream it but whatever i aint a hater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earmuffs Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 fuck it im going Im only 70 mile from Philly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CALIgula Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist 666 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 those things are hard... why should the guys who weigh 250+ pounds who can barely speak their own name get all the credit?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayabusa Posted October 21, 2007 Author Share Posted October 21, 2007 im not only talking about them how bout kids running track, or doing other sports or doing something else that takes brains... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist 666 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 its all about money if they're able to give out a ten grand prize, they're able to pull in atleast 10x that. hold a championship, why? moneys to be made... still... completing advanced sudoko in 7 minutes? shit, i'd be stoked to have a sub 20 minute time... those guys are bright--any feat can be made into a big deal. hot dogs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CILONE/SK Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Haybusa are you jealous? Why do you care? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayabusa Posted October 21, 2007 Author Share Posted October 21, 2007 i care because i know many people, athletes and students, who have accomplished arguabley bigger and better things, and are continuing to do so, despite not having anyone in the mass public know or even give a shit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CILONE/SK Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 I can understand that, but I still think that this guy should get his small 15 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CILONE/SK Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 i care because i know many people, athletes and students, who have accomplished arguabley bigger and better things, and are continuing to do so, despite not having anyone in the mass public know or even give a shit Try being a Soldier. I have done things and seen other guys do things and no one cares. They give you medals, but you never wear them and no one really cares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist 666 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 i care cilone, i care why do people need credit for their athletic achievements? what has their really fast time at whatever period done for anyone? is the world a better place because their 100m dash was .078 seconds quicker than some other guy? i personally believe it doesn't matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRUCE LEROY Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 i just think its corny how this shit is suddenly hip, when its been around forever, fuck i used to do these for bonus points in elementary school Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CILONE/SK Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 ^bonus points? Nerdz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bojangles Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 I still don't know how the fuck to play this game. They had it on a damn happy meal once and I was too dumb to figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CILONE/SK Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 ^dumb? rock headz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IOU Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Too many athletes get too much respect for good hand eye coordination... Mind you I love sports.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat ralphy Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 this summer i was in europe and everyone was playin this shit...not me though cuz i think that shit is ghey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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