Keeping with its origins, sudoku is a game that is known and loved around the world. Every year, people from all over the globe gather for the Sudoku World Championships. It’s similar to the Olympics, but for only one event: solving sudoku puzzles. The host country changes every year and there are individual and team events. Japan has the most wins in both of these events. Sudoku is a game that can be understood no matter one’s native language, so it is a great way to bring people together.

In addition to sudoku becoming a puzzle known around the world, it also has great psychological and cognitive benefits. Routinely playing sudoku can increase memory and overall brain function. Interestingly enough, sudoku can also have a beneficial impact on blood flow and efficiency. In a study done by the National Library of Medicine, they looked at the prefrontal cortex of people completing sudoku puzzles of easy and hard difficulties. The study states, “Post hoc analysis showed a significant increase in oxyhemoglobin concentrations and decrease in deoxyhemoglobin concentrations at all 16 optode locations during step 1 (3 × 3 subgrids) and step 2 (easy level 9 × 9 Sudoku) when compared with the rest (p < 0.0001).” In other words, there was more oxygenated blood going through the brain versus deoxygenated blood. This improves brain activity, function, and memory.