The modern version of Sudoku shares a past that goes back further than most people might think. In the late 19^th century, a French newspaper had a game in its pages where magic numbers were lifted and then replaced. Within three years the game was redefined in the French media to the point where it closely resembled a predecessor of the modern Sudoku game. It’s clear that the public’s fascination with the numbers game did not start recently with this puzzle, but this early version disappeared around the time of the First World War. At the time, no one knew what kind of comeback it would make.

Experts think the modern version of the puzzle game may have had it origins in Indiana in 1979 and may have been first published under a different name in Dell magazine. Unfortunately, the 74-year-old retired architect who designed the game he called Number Place died before he could see his invention take off worldwide.

The modern version of the game was introduced in Japan in 1984 and then reworked further in 1986, when two more innovations were introduced. It wasn’t until 1997 that the game as we know it today was introduced to the Times in London. It was introduced to the world in 2004 under the name Sudoku and has been steadily climbing in popularity ever since.

Sudoku has gone on to hit some amazing heights that include a television show first broadcast in 2005 that pitted contestants against each other, and recent variations that appear on everything from mobile phones to computers. The game is also receiving praise form different unexpected sources as well. After it was included in a brain exercise module, it became clear to various experts Sudoku had a intellectually promising quality as well as it actually created a type of exercise for the brain.