Kolkata Launches 19th World Sudoku and 33rd World Puzzle Championship 2026

Key facts

• Kolkata launched the 19th World Sudoku and 33rd World Puzzle Championship (WSPC) 2026 on October 11, 2026, organised by Logic Masters India (LMI) at The Westin in Rajarhat, with elite solvers from 35 countries competing until October 18.
• The tournament features five days of competitive brain games with 38 rounds, over 100 Sudokus and 250 puzzles, some inspired by the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• India previously hosted the WSPC in Bengaluru in 2017 and Goa in 2008.
• Former world champions participating include 2025 champion Tantan Dai of China, Japan's Kota Morinishi and the USA's Thomas Snyder.
• The Indian team is led by Kishore Kumar Sridharan, alongside Nityant Agarwal, Harsh Poddar, and father-son duo Jaipal Reddy Mogiligundla and Kartik Reddy.
• In 2022, Prasanna Seshadri won India's first silver at the World Puzzle Championship in Poland, while his protégé Nityant Agarwal bagged the U-18 gold at the World Sudoku Championship with a record best-ever finish by an Indian debutant.
• A special public event 'Puzzle Palooza' will be held on October 14, featuring New York Times Crossword Editor Will Shortz, LinkedIn Games principal puzzlemaster Thomas Snyder and author Ria Chopra, with four events running from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• The title sponsor of the 2026 World Championships is mental math app Matiks, Team India's sponsor is MBA academy Rodha, the technology partner is Amuse Labs, and The Hindu is a media partner.