By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer
TOKYO (AP) — Maki Kaji,black bachelor brandi sex video the creator of the popular numbers puzzle Sudoku whose life’s work was spreading the joy of puzzles, has died, his Japanese company said Tuesday. He was 69 and had bile duct cancer.
Known as the “Godfather of Sudoku,” Kaji created the puzzle to be easy for children and others who didn’t want to think too hard. Its name is made up of the Japanese characters for “number” and “single,” and players place the numbers 1 through 9 in rows, columns and blocks without repeating them.
Ironically, it wasn’t until 2004 when Sudoku became a global hit, after a fan from New Zealand pitched it and got it published in the British newspaper The Times. Two years later, Japan rediscovered its own puzzle as a “gyakuyunyu,” or “reimport.”
Kaji was chief executive at his puzzle company, Nikoli Co., until July and died Aug. 10 at his home in Mitaka, a city in the Tokyo metro area.
Maki traveled to more than 30 countries spreading his enjoyment of puzzles. Sudoku championships have drawn some 200 million people in 100 countries over the years, according to Tokyo-based Nikoli.
Sudoku was also never trademarked except within Japan, driving its overseas craze, Nikoli said.
“Kaji-san came up with the name Sudoku and was loved by puzzle fans from all over the world. We are grateful from the bottom of our hearts for the patronage you have shown throughout his life,” the company said in a statement.
Originally, Sudoku was called “Suji-wa-Dokushin-ni-Kagiru,” which translates to, “Numbers should be single, a bachelor.” In recent years, Sudoku, believed to be the world’s most popular pencil puzzle, has come out in digital versions.
Born in the main northern island of Hokkaido, Maki started Japan’s first puzzle magazine after dropping out of Keio University in Tokyo. He founded Nikoli in 1983, and came up with Sudoku about the same time.
Yoshinao Anpuku, who succeeded Kaji as Nikoli’s chief executive, said Kaji made friends easily and had a “unique and playful approach toward life.”
“Our mission is to pursue Maki’s vision and possibilities,” Anpuku said.
Nikoli has provided original puzzles to more than 100 media companies, 10 of them foreign ones.
Major Japanese newspaper Mainichi in its obituary credited Kaji for starting the puzzle sections at bookstores, as well as introducing the word “Sudoku” into the Oxford English dictionary.
Kaji is survived by his wife Naomi and two daughters. Funeral services have been held among close family. A separate memorial service is being arranged by Nikoli, but details were still undecided.
Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
Facebook is giving users more control over what they see in their news feedImpossible meatballs beat Beyond meatballsImpossible meatballs beat Beyond meatballsFacebook is giving users more control over what they see in their news feedSome Twitter users don't realise their accounts are public, survey suggestsFBI email server hacked to send thousands of spam messagesWhich iPhones are waterproof?5 big mistakes to avoid while setting up a dating app bio15 of the best behindLooking back at 'The Mindy Project' crush Danny Castellano. Man, did he suck. Ninja deals: Save on air fryers, blenders, and more NYT Strands hints, answers for January 7 Best beauty deal: The Dyson Supersonic is on sale for under $330 New airline refund rules: What you need to know and how the internet reacted CES Unveiled 2025: Jizai's Mi Best coffee maker deal: Save up to 40% on coffee makers from Ninja, Philips, and Keurig. CES 2025: Nvidia Blackwell RTX 50 Best Dyson deal: Save $210 on Dyson Hot+Cool purifier Browse free dark romance titles during Stuff Your Kindle Day TikTok expands its educational STEM feed to all users
0.1724s , 14238.0390625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【black bachelor brandi sex video】Sudoku Maker Maki Kaji, Who Saw Life's Joy in Puzzles, Dies,Global Hot Topic Analysis