Looking for fast, friendly puzzles that won't bite back? This fun, portible new series begins with 200 fast and easy sudoku puzzles. Includes: -200 easy, relaxing puzzles -Perfect portable size -Edited by Will Shortz Sudoku: One of life's simple pleasures Sudoku has taken America by storm! Puzzled by the wordless crossword puzzle? Try one or two of these simple, easy-to-solve sudoku and you'll discover what millions of fans already know: There's nothing as fun as sudoku! Features: · 100 all-new simple sudoku · Edited by legendary New York Times crossword editor and "America's puzzlemaster" Will Shortz · Big grids with lots of space for easy solving Tetsuya Miyamoto , the creator of KenKen, is a math teacher. He developed KenKen to help his student develop their calculation and logic skills. He runs a unique mathematics class for grade school children in Japan where he practices “The Art of Teaching Without Teaching.” His teaching method and use of KenKen in his classroom have proven extremely successful. His students regularly go on to be accepted at the most prestigious schools in Tokyo. KenKen was developed in 2004 by acclaimed Japanese mathematics instructor Tetsuya Miyamoto. His goal was to improve his students' math and logic skill, so he developed a puzzle that would be understandable, fun, and challenging for any level of student. Most importantly, he wanted the puzzle to encourage independent thinking, emphasizing trial and error, concentration, and perseverance. His methods and puzzle were immediately successful. It quickly became a favorite leisure activity for all ages throughout Japan and then for millions of players worldwide. In 2008, KenKen came to the United States. Soon, it was the first daily feature since the crossword puzzle to appear in The New York Times . Whether in the classroom, on the beach, waiting for a bus, standing atop a mountain―anywhere you might be―KenKen is always stimulating your brain. It's the puzzle that makes you smarter! Will Shortz has been the crossword puzzle editor of The New York Times since 1993. He is also the puzzlemaster on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday and is founder and director of the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. He has edited countless books of crossword puzzles, Sudoku, KenKen, and all manner of brain-busters. Will Shortz Presents Tame KenKen 200 Easy Logic Puzzles That Make You Smarter By Will Shortz St. Martin's Griffin Copyright © 2009 Will Shortz All right reserved. ISBN: 9780312605131 Introduction Throughout the history of puzzles and games, many of the biggest successes have come as complete surprises, because they've broken all the "rules." Parker Bros. famously turned down the rights to the game Monopoly in 1934, because it had "52 design errors." It was too complicated, they said, it had too many pieces, and it took too long to play. So the inventor, Charles B. Darrow, produced and sold 5,000 handmade copies of Monopoly, they quickly sold out, and--once Parker Bros. finally bought the rights--it became the biggest game hit of 1935. Similarly, the "experts" initially pooh-poohed Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, crossword puzzles, and many other game and puzzle successes over the years. Hardly anyone thought sudoku would be popular when it was introduced in Britain in late 2004 and the U.S. in 2005. The public was not interested in number puzzles, according to conventional wisdom. Yet we all know what happened. In less than a year, sudoku has become one of the most popular puzzles in history. Virtually every newspaper has made room for a daily sudoku, sudoku books have been bestsellers for six straight months, and sudoku tournaments have been held across the country and around the world. The Language Report named "sudoku" the Word of the Year for 2005. The craze goes on and, to everyone's surprise, shows little sign of abating. What's So Great About Sudoku? The appeal of sudoku comes partly from the simplicity of the rules, which can be stated in a single sentence, and the compactness of the grid, just 9 x 9 squares--combined with some unexpectedly subtle logic. Even longtime enthusiasts may not understand all the techniques needed to work it. Sudoku packs a lot of punch for so small a feature. Sudoku is a flexible puzzle. It can be easy, medium, or hard, which you can select according to your skills and mood. And the amount of time needed to solve one--generally between 10 and 30 minutes, for most people for most puzzles--is about perfect in order to feed a daily addiction. If sudoku took less time, it wouldn't pose enough challenge, and if it took more, you might lose interest or simply not be able to fit sudoku into your schedule. Like crosswords, sudoku puzzles have blank squares that are inviting to fill in. It's said nature abhors a vacuum. We as human beings seem to have a natural compulsion to fill up empty spaces. A sudoku addict has difficulty turning a page that has empty