Passion For Puzzles

It takes an average of 48 to 100 tries to solve a Rubik's Cube puzzle. If done perfectly, any Rubik's Cube combination can be solved in 17 turns.. UPDATE: According to Ron from Speedcubing.com there are thousands of Rubik's Cube positions proven to be solvable in 20 moves but no position has yet been found that take 21 moves.

Tags: Rubik's

Serve more than just a beverage & serve up a Light Show! Introducing the Black and White Puzzle Light Show Coasters and Serving Tray Set - a dazzling new product that's as practical as it is beautiful!
Entertain your guests at your next party with a personal light show for every drink. Looks great in bright light, looks stunning in low light. Each piece is fully inter-locking so you can add as many sets as you wish. Create a puzzle chain or a design on any table top and have beverages lit and waiting for your arriving guests. Every coaster operates independent of each other and there is nothing to plug in. Use your Light Show Coasters™ anywhere - indoors or out. Each coaster features an automatic on/off function. The Light Show Coasters™ only operate when a glass is placed on them and turns off when the glass is lifted away. Black and White Puzzle Light Show Coasters dimensions - 1.42" x 12.4" x 14.02".
Availabale at ePartyUnlimited

Tags: Puzzle | Lighting | Coasters

Tame the squares in the first Online World Sudoku Championship. The biggest Sudoku Championship ever has opened! Sudoku fans all over the world can join to match their Sudoku skills against each other in the Online World Sudoku Championship.

The Championship will be played in the new online game MultiPlay Sudoku, where up to 4 people compete in the same grid, so you have to hurry before the others fill in all the blanks! MultiPlay Sudoku injects speed and competition into sudoku and transforms dry logic into excitement for smarties.

With MultiPlay Sudoku the game gets easier for all players for every number that is entered. So even if it starts slow, the speed increases during the game towards a race at the end to enter the final numbers!

Anyone can participate in the Online World Sudoku Championship, and if you have what it takes, you will be flown to London for the World Championship final on October 15, 2006.

Qualification rounds for the World Championship start in September but sudokunians can start practicing already at the official website. Practicing and participating in the World Championship is free.

Tags: Sudoku

A classic challenge in executive style. A totally engrossing puzzle comes with its own carrying case. A booklet provides different arrangements for you to try and match. Pefect for travel or for in your executive office. For ages 8 and up and available at Mori.
You can also solve 15 puzzle online at Passion For Puzzles.

Tags: 15 Puzzle

One thousand years ago a famous polymath, astronomer, cartographer and all round genius named Shen Kua was a passionate game player. His passion was GO, the ancient game of skill and chance played on boards of 19x19 squares, but also other sizes including 9x9, the same as in the SuDoku puzzle. Shen was so fascinated by the game that he was the first person to calculate the number of possible moves in the game despite not having a zero in the Chinese numbering system.

Shen’s innovations included the grid reference system for maps, and it was this fact that inspired the development of a game - based on the SuDoku puzzle - that involves several of Shen’s innovations, including the grid references, to form what Shen himself may have developed had the SuDoku puzzle been around in his time. In honour of Shen, the game is named after him.

Shendoku™ is a game for two or more players, it can be played anywhere and is available in various forms, initially as a book on sale at lulu.com, but soon to be released globally in its first internationally published volume. In development are games for the PC and mobile phone, in single player and multi player versions, and most excitingly in a format being developed by rorohiko - who also produce the generators for Shendoku game grids - that involves allocating players a personal code for playing and registering their scores on regional, national or global scoreboards.

The object of this development is to generate a means for selecting players for a TV Game Show format, currently being refined by the original development team, and soon to be available to production companies. More information on this can be sought via the Shendoku.com website.

Shendoku™ is available for syndication through the highly acclaimed websudoku.com and for publishers looking to generate game grids themselves, generators and templates can be acquired through rorohiko.com - the sole source for Shendoku™ game generators and developers of the on-line, computer and mobile game versions.

Look out in the coming weeks for a board game version to hit the Internet. Shendoku.com will be the source for information and news of new releases will be posted at shendoku.blogspot.com.

Via PRLeap

Tags: Shendoku | Sudoku | GO

If your are only reading Passions for puzzles weblog than please take also a look at other pages of Passion for Puzzles. At our Online Puzzle page you can find ten puzzles you can play online for free like, Simon Says, Self programmed TopSpin, Samegame, Pannerotto, Rubik's Cube and much more.

Tags: Puzzles | Sudoku | Rubik's Cube | Rush Hour

It looks like Acer is still trying to create a slight ripple in the DAP/PMP market by switching up its marketing strategies to target the legions of Sudoku fans out there. The addition of a handful of built-in games does make their new 20GB MP-340 player more appealing than the company's previous offerings...assuming you've been blessed with superhuman eyesight, that is. Even though no one could comfortably view anything - much less a grid-based puzzle - on a 1.8" TFT (262K colors, 160 x 128), the player supports ACV videos (and you have tons of those, right?), JPG images, and MP3 and WMA audio files.

If 20GB barely scratches the surface of your media collection, the MP-340's SD/MMC expansion slot can take care of that. And don't hold back when transferring all your music via USB 2.0 either: the device's lithium polymer battery can provide up to 10 hours of audio playback time with the display turned off.

Measuring 3.47" x 2.56" x 0.81", the 5.2-ounce player is available now in Germany for between $280 and $318, depending on where you shop. Whether the player makes it to U.S. shores remains to be seen, but the fact that it's not (yet) listed on their website isn't encouraging.

Via AnythingButIpod

Tags: MP3 player | Portable Media | Sudoku | WMA

The Adventure Company released this month a puzzle game entitled Safecracker. The game is being developed by the same team behind Return to Mysterious Island.

Safecracker is touted as "a unique puzzle game with 35 unique safes to crack." If you're experiencing a severe case of déjà vu upon hearing this, that's no surprise; another game called Safecracker with the same premise was released in 1997. However, The Adventure Company says the game that's currently in production is brand new, and although it's along the same lines as the original Safecracker, it's not a direct sequel.

In the new Safecracker, the player will be tasked with exploring the mansion of a recently-deceased millionaire. The player must crack each of the 35 safes located throughout the house to find the millionaire's last will and testament, which is hidden inside one of them.

Safecracker is available at amazon

Tags: Puzzle | Safecracker

Dracosoft's Sudoku is a challenging number-puzzle game filled with logical solutions, and analytical answers.
Based on the popular Japanese number game, Dracosoft's Sudoku not only includes the "Classic" number-puzzles, but we have also included two other modes for added merriment. Select "Random" mode for amorphic puzzles, and "Chaos" mode for completely wild challenges. These additional modes will challenge even the most skilled Sudoku player. Dracosoft's Sudoku will leave you thinking numbers all day long.

Via Dracosoft

Tags: Sudoku | Mac

Best Kakuro Software has released Best Kakuro 1.0 for Mac, a challenging number puzzle solved in a crossword style grid.

The game is also known as Cross Sums, presenting black squares that contain the sum of the adjacent white squares. Best Kakuro puzzles offer five difficulty levels, with sizes ranging from 8 x 8 to 14 x 22. All puzzles offer a unique solution, and all are solvable by logical methods with no guessing required.

The software features quick puzzle creation for all puzzle types, as well as the ability to print puzzles or solve them on-screen. Best Kakuro 1.0 is priced at $15. Kakuro software is available at amazon. Via Macnn

Tags: Mac | puzzle

3D-Sudoku is a modern version of current hit-game for your mobile. While every cell of one puzzle is entered, game tells you if you've gone wrong at some point. Solve the puzzle perfectly to add it in the cube, get the cube rolling and step to the next level. Solve every side of the 3D-puzzlecube and be the Sudoku-champion!
Compatiable with the following devices: Nokia 3250, Nokia 5500, Nokia E50, Nokia E60, Nokia E70, Nokia N71, Nokia N73, Nokia N80, Nokia N91, Nokia N92, Nokia N93 for $8.99

Via All About Symbian

Tags: Symbian OS | Sudoku | Mobile Puzzle | Nokia

JigZone offers you free online jigsaw puzzle with thousands of beautiful pictures and puzzle cuts. You can choose the level of difficulty from a simple 6 piece cut to a challenging 247 piece cut with different kind of puzzle pieces. You can always find a picture you like to create a jigsaw puzzle. There are different categories like Animals, Art, Flowers & Gardens, Holidays ,Nature Scenes, Ocean Life, Sport, Transport, Travel and Things. And if you want to share your passion for puzzles you can always send puzzle postcards to your friends

Tags: Jigsaw | Puzzle | JigZone | Flash

Bored of Sudoku? Kakuro just too easy? Then maybe you should try Nurikabe from Breakpoint games, which puts a fresh gloss on those number grid puzzles.

The aim of the game is to help Dr. Tetsuo paint squares of the grid-laden walls of his laboratory with either white or blue paint. But you can't just slap the matt around as you might do at home (and don't even talk to him about stencilling or a terracotta wash). You have to fill the grid in accordance with strict mathematical rules to create islands of white amidst the colour.

Sounds a bit too much like hard work? We thought so too, but Breakpoint assures us that as with sudoku, these rules soon become second nature, providing for intuitive, addictive but brain-busting action.

And if it all gets too much, Dr. Tetsuo is on hand to help out with hints. He might even lend a hand with a little brushwork of his own.
With hundreds of unique boards on offer there should be plenty to keep you busy (and safely away from doing any real DIY). But will it all add up to an experience that's more interesting than watching paint dry? Via Pocketgamer

Tags: Mobile Puzzle | Nurikabe

This nice Flash puzzle called Fly Puzzle designed by Harada Yasunori. Fly puzzle is not just a flash puzzle with some puzzle pieces, but a flash puzzle with a moving background. The puzzle is not a difficult puzzle but it just add some extra dimension to it. Enjoy puzzling !

Tags: Flash Puzzle

You could already order your personalized Cryptex (see blogpost Your Personal Cryptex). But now you can also create and send your webbased designed Cryptex to your friend(s) for free. All you have to do is visit the WebCryptex dot com website and fill in a form with your Cryptex Secret Code (3-10 Characters), your clue and some e-mail address(es) of your friend(s) and the message inside the Cryptex you designed. A lot of fun to create your own cryptex and also to receive a webcryptex from one of your friends.

Tags: Cryptex

This Is Part Two of How Smart Are You? That is the title used in Belgium for an advertisement for Nintendo's DS Big Brain Academy. It is printed on a postcard with seven pieces you have to be removed from the postcard to form a swan. Funny how they use an old fashion way of advertisement for a new technology. Click on postcard for a full version of the postcard. Text is in Dutch but I think it's clear what the object is (difficulty: *** out of *****). big brain academy and Nintendo DS are available at amazon.com
You can also take a look at the first postcard How Smart Are You? I posted.

Tags: Big Brain Academy | Nintendo DS

This Jigsaw Table by Linde Hermans (Vlaemsch label) is a one flat piece of steel with coating, in a L-form, with the ends of both legs welded in such a way that they join together again to form a cube and a table. An infinite number of the puzzles can be linked, to any sort of constellation. Vleamsch Jigsaw Table is available in the colors Yellow, Sandy Brown, Nearly Black, Nearly White, Pistachio and Midnight Blue at apartdesign.nl for Euro 155 a piece and via retromodern dot com.

Tags: Jigsaw | Puzzle furniture

According to Time dot com, Number Logic the Sudoku portal is one of the 50 coolest websites. They describe this Sudoku website as:
"Caught up in the current Sudoku craze? This site offers a hefty supply of puzzles to tackle. Work independently or compete head-to-head against other registered users. There are three levels of difficulty; the site will time you (there's a pause button if you need to take a breather) and, if you wish, "validate" your answers (and highlight any mistakes). You don't have to sign in to use the site but you do if you want your scores recorded."
Well I think it is worth to mention the Number Logic website and hope they will win (keep your fingers crossed). And don't forget to bookmark this site

Tags: Sudoku

Puzzled is a modular seating system, simply add puzzle pieces to grow your sofa as needed. Bert & Dennis are Bert van der Grift and Dennis van der Burch, both Dutch designers of some very nice contemporary chairs and seating systems and specialized in design furniture.

Via Design Spotter

Tags: Puzzle Furniture

Okay, No Lunch is for free, and I don't know if there is a catch. But what I do know is that you can order a Sudoku CD for Free at Think All dot com. According to ThinkAll "The game is fully customizable, so you can select the colors and design exactly how you like it - once or every time you play. At any time during a game, get hints, check your progress or simply solve the game". As well as Windows as Mac OSX operating system is supported. The CD comes with 10 other fun, challenging puzzle games.

Tags: Sudoku

If you are looking for a nice USB hub to connect your Sudoku Clip Flash Drive, than this is the USB hub for you (USB 2.0 and four ports which can be slided accordingly to access the ports easily). It functions and also looks like Rubik's Cube. More information can be found at Goodman's website.

Via Tech Ticker

Tags: Rubik's Cube | USB Hub

A few days ago I posted an article about Magic Sudoku. Well today I solved this Magic Sudoku (it's raining all day long) and want to share with you some tips and the solution to Magic Sudoku.
- Do not forget the rule that both diagonals must also contain the numbers between 1 and 9
- You can already add some numbers to the Sudoku. For example the mini-grid at the bottom right, as the blue cell only can contain the numbers 1 to 7, the white cell must contain the 9. The same for the mini-grid at the top left. The blue cell must be 1 according to rules of Magic Sudoku.

Happy puzzling

843 275 961
579 681 324
216 439 785

765 318 492
491 752 638
328 964 157

184 596 273
932 847 516
657 123 849


Tags: Sudoku

Slitherlink for you Palm Pilot is available via Tucows downloads. Just download the Slitherlink zip file and transfer it to your Palm Pilot. If you want more information about Slitherlink please read the previous post Slitherlink Online. It also explains the rules of Slitherlink. If you want to play Slitherlink the old fashion way you can buy Slitherlink Puzzle Books online at amazon dot com.

Tags: Slitherlink | Palm Pilot

This is the last part of Sudoku videos by Carol Vorderman available at YouTube dot com. This video is called 'Tips for playing Sudoku III' and explains 'The Only One That Fits' technique and lasts 1 minute. If you want to read some techniques I use to solve Sudoku's please visit the Sodoku Solution page at passion for puzzles dot com.

If you are looking for some Sudoku puzzle books of Carol Vorderman please visit amazon.com

Tags: Sudoku

In part two of video series 'Tips for playing Sudoku' Carol Vorderman explains the Sudoku combining mini-grid and, rows and columns technique. This 1m23s video is officially titled 'Medium Puzzle tips part 1 by Carol Vorderman'.

There are also Sudoku puzzle books of Carol Vorderman available at amazon.com

Tags: Sudoku

This is the first part of Tips of playing Sudoku Videos. In this 4m35s video Carol Vorderman explains the Sudoku Technique of Slicing and Dicing. If you want to read and print how to solve sudoku's please visit the Sodoku Solution page at passion for puzzles dot com.
Please visit amazon.com if you are looking for a Sudoku puzzle books by Carol Vorderman.

Tags: Sudoku | Carol Vorderman

A basic explanation of Sudoku for the newbies by the world famous Carol Vorderman. In the eighties I saw her already explaining mathematical problems on BBC television and I was fascinated by the simple way she explains problems. She explains in a 4m20s video how simple sudoku is. You can watch the Rules of Sudoku Video at YouTube dot com.

Tags: sudoku | video

Ever wanted to know how many different Sudoku grids are possible? Then you have to visit Frazar Jarvis Sudoku enumeration problems page explaining how he calculated some Sudoku Statistics including a description of the program they used to calculate all figures.
Just to give you a hint, there are 6670903752021072936960 different Sudoku grids.

Tags: sudoku | statistics

At Mathpuzzle dot com you can find Magic Sudoku by Alexandre Owen Muniz. It contains only 9 numbers (1 till 9). The rules of standard sudoku apply: every row, column, and 3×3 square must be filled in with all of the numbers from 1 to 9. But with the following two additional restrictions:
- Both of the main diagonals must also contain every number between 1 and 9.
- Each number inside the polyomino (blue cells) must be no larger than the number of blue cells in its 3×3 square. Conveniently, this number is the given in that 3×3 square.
There is only one unique solution. Download the pdf version of Magic Sudoku (100kb).

Tags: sudoku

If Sudoku isn`t maths, why are we so intrigued by it? This is an interesting question raised by the University of Queensland. They will tempt new talent to Sudoku and help addicts hone their skills. The day starts in the Eleanor Room, University of Queensland Staff and Graduates Club, with a glass of bubbly on arrival, a tasty hot breakfast, good company and two fantastic speakers: Professor Anne Street and Associate Professor Diane Donovan. Specialists in combinatorics. More information at the University of Queensland Event page

Tags: Sudoku | Combinatorics

Some memories from my childhood popped up when looking at the website of Monkeying Around. You can download some free dot-to-dot puzzle and you can also buy "The Greatest Dot-to-dot puzzle books in the World" with brilliant puzzle designs for your children. This will keep them busy for hours.

Dot-to-dot puzzle books are also available at amazon dot com.

Tags: Dot-to-dot Puzzles

How Smart Are You? That is the title used in Belgium for an advertisement for Nintendo's DS Big Brain Academy. It is printed on a postcard with seven pieces you have to be removed from the postcard to form a square. Funny how they use an old fashion way of advertisement for a new technology.
Click on postcard for a full version of the postcard. Text is in Dutch but I think it's clear what the object is (difficulty: *****). big brain academy and Nintendo DS are available at amazon.com

Tags: Big Brain Academy | Nintendo DS

O2 and Puzzler Media, the publishing firm behind around 50 puzzle titles, are to provide downloadable sudoku, kakuro and crosswords through the mobile phone giant's O2 Active portal. Mobile versions of puzzles will be available to download to O2 handsets, with the option of inviting friends to form a mini-puzzle league, enter competitions and win prizes.

Puzzler Media said users would be able to access more than 1,000 puzzles from its archive, with new ones being added daily. The Puzzler Portal, which is available via O2 Active, will offer downloadable puzzles costing 50p a time.

The Puzzler Portal on O2 Active is the new go-to destination for mobile puzzles. The puzzles are fun, easy to access and play, and provide hours of entertainment.

via BrandRepublic

Tags: Mobile Puzzles

During a regular check on the PassionForPuzzles web site I found out that the Puzzle Japan website does not longer exist (broken link).

You are kindly requested to visit the Nikoli website. I think this is strange because last month they gave free access to all their puzzles (like sudoku, kakuro and nurikabe) as posted by Puzzlinks and Zotmeister. So it is time to update your bookmarks. Happy Puzzling!

Tags: Nikoli

A few years ago I received an email in which they offered me a puzzle book if placed a link to their website. Well I did and a few weeks later I received a slitherlink puzzle book from Nikoli. And to be honest I really liked their Slitherlink puzzles. A long time they sold their puzzle books also online. The only downside is that you can not pay by credit card (you have to use paypal). While browsing their website I also found out that Nikoli makes well made and hand made Sudoku's. And as they at Nikoli say:

"Can you really say that you enjoy solving this kind of puzzle? I never can. Computer-generated Sudoku puzzles are lacking a vital ingredient that makes puzzles enjoyable - the sense of communication between solver and author. The best Sudoku make you concentrate, but aren't stressful. They are absorbing, never boring."

If I look back at the Slithlink puzzle I solved in their book I must agree that I enjoyed each of them. The only thing I have to do now is to wait for snail mail from Japan.

Tags: Sudoku | Nikoli | Slitherlink

This is the puzzle alarm clock that is guaranteed to wake you up! Nobody sleeps through this! It wakes you up by firing four puzzle pieces up in the air, and then it is your task to get the pieces and put them back in the alarm clock - it won't turn off until then.

Sleep well and wake up puzzling!

Tags: Puzzle Alarm Clock

More Puzzle Clocks:
- Rubik's Cube Clock
- Karlsson Clock inspired by Rubik's Cube
- Mensa Puzzle Alarm
- Rubik's Alarm Clock
- Puzzle Clock
- Another Puzzle Alarm Clock
- Jigsaw Puzzle Clock

Get hooked on Sudoku and keep digital files safe with the new Clip Flash Drive from Imation Corp. Just in time for back to school, the high capacity Imation Clip Flash Drive lets students carry summer vacation photos and favorite beach tunes - and of course class notes and school projects - between home, school, the library or computer lab. And whether you're new to Sudoku or an expert, you can solve puzzles right from your PC using the full version of the gaming software that comes with the drive and includes four difficulty levels - easy, medium, hard and devilish. The Imation Clip Flash Drive features the smallest of USB flash drives, safely encased in a durable, rubberized shell. A genuine carabiner clip lets you attach the drive quickly and easily to backpacks, shoulder bags or belt loops.
"You see people of all ages working feverishly on Sudoku puzzles just about everywhere today. Now consumers on the go can take important digital files with them on their Imation Clip Flash Drive and use it to play Sudoku right on their PC," said Carla Pihowich, Marketing Director, Imation Corp. "For students and professionals alike, that all adds up to one functional and fun flash drive."
The 512 MB Imation Clip Flash Drive with Sudoku plus two other fun games will be available in August at Target stores nationwide in travelling teal, neon green, stealth black and Imation red for a suggested retail price of $34.99.
Imation Clip Flash Drives are compatible with any USB port, making it easy to transfer, share and store digital content, whether you're using a Mac in the school computer lab or a PC at home. For added security, password protection helps keep valuable files safe.
If you are looking for a flash drive please visit amazon.com

Tags: Sudoku | Flash drive

Puzzle enthusiast and author Jerry Slocum has donated his immense puzzle collection to IU's Lilly Library. The collection includes more than 30,000 mechanical puzzles and nearly 4,000 puzzle-related books.

Beginning Wednesday, 400 pieces from the donated puzzle collection, including hands-on examples, will be on display in a newly refurbished area of the Lilly Library that will be named the Jerry Slocum Puzzle Room, said Jillian Hinchliffe, Lilly Library curatorial assistant.

Visitors to the Lilly Library will be able to test their wits by trying to reassemble or disentangle replicas of puzzles that have entertained for centuries, according to a press release.

Mechanical puzzles are hand-held objects that must be manipulated to achieve a specific goal, such as a Rubik's cube or a Tangram. The puzzles soon to be on display will be mostly put-together, take-apart and interlocking puzzles.

"Slocum, who developed a mechanical puzzle classification system adopted worldwide, identifies 10 types of mechanical puzzles, ranging from put-together puzzles to dexterity and disentanglement puzzles," according to a press release. See also Classification of Puzzles.

In the days before the exhibit opens to the public, the Lilly Library will be hosting a conference to celebrate the gift, Hinchliffe said. IU alumnus Will Shortz is slated to speak at an invitation-only reception expected to attract more than 100 puzzle enthusiasts from around the world. Shortz is the editor of The New York Times crossword puzzle, NPR Puzzlemaster and served as inspiration for the recent documentary "Wordplay". See also previous post about the great Wordplay contest.

Slocum began solving and collecting mechanical puzzles during his early childhood. His collection is now considered the largest in the world. He is the author of several puzzle books, including 1986's award-winning "Puzzles Old and New" and 1996's best-selling "The Puzzle Arcade." In 2002, Slocum was curator of the "Puzzles using Mathematics" exhibit at IU.

Slocum is also president of the Slocum Puzzle Foundation, an organization that aims to educate the public about the history, development and use of puzzles in cultures throughout the world. The Foundation also supports educational use of puzzles.

"This gift culminates a long relationship with Jerry Slocum, and we are honored he chose the Indiana University Libraries to house and display his collection," said Pat Steele, interim dean of University Libraries, in a press release. "The collection is an excellent resource for teaching and learning, in part because it's so engaging. The more challenging and complex the puzzles, the more they fascinate and instruct."

Via idsnews

Tags: Puzzle collection

Maze lovers ventured into the safari world as they took on a giant giraffe puzzle in Whaplode (UK). Maze in Maize opened for its second season on Saturday and is the brainchild of farmer Lance Whittington. The shape of the new larger layout was a closely guarded secret until the opening weekend, which attracted 150 visitors. The maize, planted and shaped by hand, is currently around four to six feet tall but will grow up to eight feet.
There is a circular maze for children, which is impossible to get lost in, an idea Mr Whittington came up with after listening to youngsters last year.

For more information visit www.mazeinmaize.co.uk
Via Spalding Today

Tags: Puzzle | Maze