The New York Times has added KenKen to its Puzzle Page, next to their crossword puzzle, and publish it daily Monday-Saturday. This puzzle launch is accompanied by an article by the NYTimes Puzzle Editor, Will Shortz. Here are some excerpts from Will’s article:
“KenKen, which starts in The New York Times today next to the crossword puzzle, is a new numerical logic puzzle from Japan. The name means loosely “cleverness squared.
KenKen shares some properties with sudoku. Each is a pure logic challenge in which numbers are filled in the squares of a grid. Unlike sudoku, though, in which the numbers act solely as symbols (letters or pictures would work as well), KenKen requires arithmetic.
The rules are simple: Fill the grid with digits so as not to repeat a digit within any row or column, and so the digits within each heavily outlined box (called a cage) go together using the arithmetic operation shown to make the target number indicated.“
Will goes on to give a few simple tips to new KenKen solvers, as well as some history behind KenKen. Here is the link to the Will Shortz article.
My students have been doing KenKen puzzles for about two months now. It’s their favorite puzzle in all the years I’ve been teaching. They have matured into dedicated aficianados of KenKen, and I’ve watched their puzzle-solving abilities grow week by week. Their language skills have improved as well; they are more able now to explain “WHY” certain numbers must appear in squares. KenKen popularity has grown throughout my school, and now students from other classes visit me to get puzzles to work on!
Give this puzzle a try, and I’m sure you’ll agree with Will Shortz and me that it’s a great way to train your brain and have fun at the same time.
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Great to hear more news and exposure for the game.