LinkedIn has partnered with puzzle master Nikori and world champion Thomas Snyder to launch "Mini Sudoku." This game shrinks the traditional 9x9 Sudoku puzzle to a 6x6 grid, designed to be solved in an average of 2-3 minutes. This new game is LinkedIn's sixth and is available exclusively on the latest version of the app.
Nikori, a puzzle publisher that established the name and rules of "Sudoku" in 1984 and spread it across Japan and the world, remains largely unknown to the general public. However, due to the frequent loss of its name during international expansion, the LinkedIn Games team met with Nikori in Tokyo nine months ago to discuss collaboration, sparking a project to reinvent Sudoku with a modern twist.
Mini Sudoku is created daily by Nikori and Snyder, with Mondays being the easiest and the challenges increasing towards the end of the week. While the basic rules remain the same, the puzzles use only the numbers 1 through 6, allowing for quick and concise solutions. Puzzles also feature auxiliary features like notes, hints, automatic error checking, and row and column highlighting, helping you complete them in under three minutes.
Each puzzle comes with a video explanation, filmed by Snyder himself, providing strategies and tips for beginners and experts alike. Snyder not only created the puzzles, but also developed the hint feature.
Sudoku originated in the 1979 American release of "Number Place," but was completed in its current form by Nikori in 1984, giving it the Japanese name "Suji wa Tokushin ni Kagiru." It gained popularity in Japan in the 1990s and was featured in American and European newspapers in the mid-2000s, establishing itself as a global puzzle.
LinkedIn has been offering games since last year to increase user interaction and engagement. Millions of people play the game daily, with 82% returning a week later. This Mini Sudoku game, with its high recognition and short playtime, has the potential to become a top-rated game.
