It+was+a+really+great+experience+participating+in+ISC%2E+A+big+thanks+to+Prasanna+for+organising+the+event%2C+to+all+the+volunteers+for+helping+out+and+ofcourse+to+all+the+authors+for+the+wonderful+sudokus%21+All+the+sudokus+which+I+could+solve+during+the+event+were+wonderful%2E+Already+looking+forward+to+solving+the+remaining+ones%21+%0D%0A%0D%0ASpecial+mention+to+a+few+sudokus+which+I+really+liked+%2D+%0D%0A%0D%0A%3Cb%3ERound+1%3A%3C%2Fb%3E+Overlapping+Sudoku+by+Jun+Liu%0D%0A%3Cb%3ERound+2%3A%3C%2Fb%3E+Trio+Sudoku+by+Jun+Liu+%28Amazing+use+of+pairs+and+triplets%21%29%2C+Arrow+Parity+Switch+Sudoku+by+Bill+Murphy+%28At+the+start+it+seemed+like+really+easy+when+I+figured+the+odds+and+evens+soon+but+had+a+really+good+solve+path+till+the+end%29+and+Sudo%2DKurve+by+Prasanna+%28It+was+an+interesting+layout%2C+you+get+same+digits+in+a+row+which+would+seem+like+a+violation+of+rules+to+the+usual+sudoku+solving+mind+but+it+was+not+haha%29%0D%0A%3Cb%3ERound+3%3A%3C%2Fb%3E+Sum+Next+to+9+%26+Renban+Sudoku+by+Jun+Liu+%28Good+interaction+of+the+two+variant+rules%29%0D%0A%3Cb%3ERound+4%3A%3C%2Fb%3E+I+tried+the+first+set+by+clover+and+really+loved+it+%2D+the+best+part+was+matching+the+sudokus%2E+There+were+such+less+givens+but+all+aligned+so+well+thematically%2E+The+Thermo+and+Slow+Thermo+with+almost+opposite+thermos%2C+the+Inclusion+and+Exclusion+with+mirror+symmetry%2C+the+consecutive+sort+of+layout+in+Point+To+Next+Sudoku+was+all+perfect%21%0D%0A%0D%0AOnce+again%2C+thanks+a+lot+for+the+fun+event%21+See+you+all+in+Kolkata+soon%21%F0%9F%98%8A

I had a wonderful time in ISC this year. It was great to be back and participate and meet everyone. Kudos to Prasanna for organizing, all the volunteers for keeping the event running smoothly and the authors for their challenging and fun sudokus. I loved the puzzles that I could and could not solve.

Round 1: Classic #5 and Overlapping Sudoku by Jun Liu. The solve paths were challenging and I gave a special mention for the puzzles because of this.
Round 2: Trio Sudoku and Average Sudoku by Jun Liu, Sudokurve by Prasanna, Arrow Parity Switch by Bill Murphy, and the Quad Max by clover were full of nice solve paths and good logic.
Round 3: The Diagonal Sudoku by Jun Liu and the Product Sudoku by clover were good. I enjoyed the diagonal pairs that were found and the interesting products that had to be considered.
Round 4: I attempted the second set by Jun Liu and enjoyed it a lot. I couldn't fully finish the Wheel and Nonconsecutive pair but I loved matching the pairs.

Thanks to everyone who made the event memorable.

I+had+a+great+time+at+the+competition%2E+Thank+you+to+everyone+involved%3A+organizers%2C+volunteers%2C+puzzle+setters%2C+testers%2C+and+all+the+competitors+for+making+it+a+really+welcoming+space%2E%E2%9D%A4%EF%B8%8F%0D%0A%0D%0AAll+the+puzzles+were+super+cool+and+interesting%2E+I+especially+loved+everything+in+round+4%3A+I+thought+it+was+a+good+concept+paired+with+some+fun+puzzles%2E+I+solved+the+second+set+%28Jun+Liu%29+during+the+competition%2C+and+the+first+set+%28clover%29+later%2C+and+loved+both+equally%2E

Edited by Sally 2026-08-19 6:18 PM

Congratulation to the winners and kudos to everyone who participated....

ISC is one of my favourite days of every year and so was it this year . It was an awesome funfilled day doing what I like doing best , with likeminded people. Special thanks to Prasanna for organizing everything so beautifully as always. Thanks to the authors, testers and volunteers too.
I had had a bout of personal challenges before coming to the ISC so could not focus or perform well enough. But now as I look at the papers, I am suddenly noticing and appreciating the beautiful solve paths.
My favourite in the 1st round was the Overlapping, in the 2nd round was Sudokurve, in the 3rd the Diagonal. I thoroughly enjoyed the 4th round the most. I am sure as I solve the rest at leisure, I will find more favourites :). Congrats to the winners and thanks once again to all.

This+was+my+second+year+participating+in+the+Indian+Sudoku+Championship%2C+and+honestly%2C+I+enjoyed+it+even+more+this+time+around%2E%0D%0A%0D%0AA+special+mention+to+Prasanna%2C+who+managed+everything+so+smoothly%2C+almost+single%2Dhandedly%2C+and+to+all+the+wonderful+volunteers+who+made+the+entire+event+feel+so+well+organised+and+seamless%2E+What+I+really+loved+was+the+warm+and+friendly+atmosphere%2E+Even+as+someone+who+is+still+relatively+new+to+the+competitive+Sudoku+scene%2C+I+never+felt+out+of+place%2E%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+Sudoku+variants+this+year+were+particularly+interesting%2E+They+really+made+you+think+differently+and+pushed+the+brain+a+little+harder%21+%0D%0A%0D%0AI%E2%80%99m+not+really+there+chasing+a+top+rank%2E+I+go+because+I+genuinely+enjoy+solving+Sudoku%2C+challenging+myself+and+seeing+what+I+can+figure+out+under+pressure%2E+If+you+love+Sudoku%2C+I%E2%80%99d+definitely+say+give+the+championship+a+shot%E2%80%94you+may+just+discover+a+whole+new+love+for+the+game%2E%0D%0A%0D%0AAlready+looking+forward+to+the+next+one%21+%3A%29

Thanks to all authors for brilliant creations, Prasanna for organizing and to volunteers for stitching together an ideal event !

Sudoku quality was fantastic and my favourites roundwise are below :

R1 : Scattered by Gliperal and Overlapping by Liu Jun really stood out to me. I especially loved the start of Scattered.
R2 : Trio and Average by Liu Jun and Quad Max by Clover
R3 : Irregular Frame by Bill Murphy and Full search 9 by Jun Liu
R4 : Both sets were mind boggling and truly deserved to be even in a World Championship. I only wish I had done better in this round.

The experience was fantastic and hope to see most of you later this year in Kolkata !

ISC continues to set a high standard for puzzle events, balancing accessibility and challenge while showcasing some truly inventive puzzle construction.
Some of my personal favorites from the puzzle set were:

R1: Overlapping by Liu Jun and Classic 6 by Bill Murphy.
R2: Arrow and Kropki Pairs by Tantan Dai
R3: Product by clover
R4: Set 1 by Clover and Set 2 by Liu Jun. A brilliant finale to the competition, with both sets showcasing the creativity and quality that defined the entire event.

Beyond the sudokus, it was wonderful to spend the day with fellow enthusiasts who share the same passion. Congratulations to the winners, and thanks once again to everyone who contributed to making ISC so special.

.

Edited by harmeet 2026-08-20 5:25 PM

We are pleased to share the final rankings for Indian Team selection including the base points from Sudoku Mahabharat and Sudoku GP online rounds.