MANILA, Philippines - Starting today, puzzlers from all over the country will have the chance to practice Sudoku puzzles in The Philippine STAR.
In a partnership with the Mathematics Trainers Guild (MTG), The STAR publishes daily Sudoku puzzle variations to help drum up interest for the nationwide 6th Philippine Sudoku Super Challenge (PSSC), where the country’s official contestants to the world Sudoku contest of the World Puzzle Federation are picked every year.
Gearing to make quality math education available to any child, MTG president Dr. Simon L. Chua intimated that solving Sudoku puzzles is seen as a great way of improving mathematical skills of students. According to Chua, some schools in the US, China and the UK allot 10 minutes for Sudoku puzzle solving.
Sudoku’s attraction stems from its simple rules, yet solving it may require complex reasoning. The most basic Sudoku game involves only the numbers one to nine combination to be solved in a square panel. However, for the advanced Sudoku players, it can be played with a more complicated combination of letters and number combinations of one to 12. Sudoku also comes in other shapes other than a square, such as an octagon.
“The challenge is to improve solving speed and to tackle the more difficult puzzle levels,” Chua said. He stressed that the Philippine team will eventually achieve better results in international Sudoku competitions.
“Young math wizards can bring more honor to the country if only they could be given proper training and exposure,” he added. He cited more international contests the MTG and its student-wards must prepare for.
MTG, a member of the World Puzzle Federation, has also been producing Sudoku booklets and publishing the puzzles distinctively, different from the usual standard 9x9 Sudoku puzzles being featured in local magazines and periodicals. Part of its advocacy is to introduce the number puzzle to all sudokuholics and fanatics from all over the country.
Thus, beginning this issue of The Philippine STAR and thereafter, MTG will offer extensively varied Sudoku puzzles on a daily basis as part of preparations for the upcoming 6th PSSC regional eliminations and national finals. The puzzles published in The STAR will therefore serve as practice entries for interested Sudoku enthusiasts.
According to Chua, the puzzles that offer a degree of challenge is intensified as the puzzler answers the more challenging Sudoku variations. More importantly, the extensively varied Sudoku puzzles published in The Philippine STAR are far from the usual ones published in tabloids, magazines and newspapers.
“The puzzles here will contain the latest concepts of the Sudoku puzzles enough to stimulate cerebral potentials of Sudoku enthusiasts, to guide them to reach the expectations of the international standard and feel the winning glory in the world of logical sports,” he said.
Chua is the lone Filipino to win the prestigious UK-based Dr. Paul Erdos Award.
The regional eliminations for the 6th Philippine Sudoku Super Challenge is slated on Oct. 15 at SM Supermalls in Antipolo, Baguio, Baliwag, Bacolod, Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cavite, Cebu, Laguna, Pampanga, Iloilo, Lucena, Rosales in Pangasinan, Tarlac, Davao, Naga, Marikina and Subic Bay.
The national finals will be held on Jan. 28, 2012 at the SM City North Edsa Annex. Interested Sudoku enthusiasts may contact MTG Phils. executive director Roberto Degulacion at 0917-3246302 or e-mail rjd182001@yahoo.com.