KenKen
For the last six months I have picked up the New York Times newspaper every morning, got on the train, read a little of it, and then went straight to the art’s sections puzzle section where KenKen awaited. And each morning I completed the puzzle, day after day, except on weekends because it isnt published on the weekends. They have the 4 by 4 puzzle which, initially, took me 15 minutes to solve, and the 6 by 6 puzzle which, initially, took me over an hour to solve. Now, on a good day, I can complete both puzzles in less than five minutes. It took a while, but once you get the hang of the all the techniques and logic that goes into the puzzle, it becomes pretty simple. Here is what a 4×4 puzzle looks like.
It’s very simple, and I ll show you some quick techniques to use to solve the puzzle quickly. First off, they give you the 1 so jot that in. Now underneath that one it tells you to add two numbers 1,2,3, or 4 so that they equal 3. The only two numbers from that list that add up to 3 is one and two. For the 8X row we now that the only two numbers that multiply to 8 from the numbers 1,2,3, and 4, is two and four. In the 4+ row the only two numbers that add up to four but dont repeat are 1 and 3. So on and so forth, this is the first and most basic method that one would learn right off the bat.
Now, to delve into its history. In 2004 a Japanese mathematics teacher decided to create a game in order to help his students improve their calculation skills, logical thinking and patience. In Japan his invention was called “Kashikoku-Naru-Puzzle,” which translates to “a puzzle that makes you smarter.” In 2009 The New York Time’s Will Shortz debuted and adopted KenKen as the new puzzle to replace the sudoku puzzle in the arts section of the Times. Shortz has ran the arts sections puzzle section for a few years now and has sold both over 5 million copies if his sudoku books and a few million of his KenKen puzzles. Recently, in Brooklyn there have been KenKen tournaments to find the KenKen master.
I think you guys should totally check it out because it’s fun and quite a good brain teaser when you have nothing to do or are looking for a puzzle.
Here is New York Time’s official website for KenKen puzzles.
Edward, I first want to commend you on your vast improvement in KenKen! All beginnings are difficult, and for you to stick with something challenging and develop a mastery of the subject is very impressive. While I have never played KenKen, I did fall in love with Sudoku for a while. I have not tried a Sudoku puzzle in a while, but I do have memories of completing the puzzles in cars, planes, buses, or anywhere else I could sit down with them.
I think it’s great that the New York Times changes the daily puzzle every so often, it can become very routine, and familiarity breeds contempt. I thought the history of the puzzle was interesting; I found it fascinating that so many find attributes (problem solving and patience) can emerge through the practice of a fun game!
Here is a link to all the Sudoku puzzles you could ever ask for: http://www.websudoku.com/
Great job! My game is Sudoku, but I completely understand that progressive process. All these games seem so daunting when you begin, but they really become simple once you get a grip of them. Thus, I applaud your progress on this game. I think that it is a great benefit to New Yorkers to have such a puzzle inside the New York Times. It can really do nothing but benefit those who engage in the problem, and it allows for regular mental activity. With the huge rise in social media, I think that anything short of mindlessly browsing the internet is a good thing. If everyone spent as much time practicing puzzles like this as they do on Facebook, I think we would have a much more productive and intelligent society. Puzzles promote problem solving skills and focus, and overall they are a great thing.
Congratulations on figuring out how to do the puzzles so quickly! This is such a cool blog because it was fun to read and learn about a game I did not even know existed. It is also impressive that you took the time to do these puzzles and learn how to master them instead of mindlessly playing Temple Run (do people even play that anymore) on your phone. At least KenKen challenged your mind. Very cool that there is something now replacing Sudoku.
Wow, I feel like such a dork because I have never heard of KenKen before. After reading this article, I tried to do one myself, but I obviously got way too frustrated after the first 5 minutes and just went back to my mindless Tetris.
It seems like a really cool game and it’s definitely something that’ll keep your mind working. I love sudoku but I haven’t mastered it enough to move onto KenKen! Congrats on figuring out how to do them. Thanks for introducing it; hopefully, one day, I will be able to do one too!
Like Ariella, I had never heard of KenKen before, and like Austin, I enjoy Soduku. I’m definitely interested in trying this out, because it seems pretty cool. I think this a better use of your brain on the train than what I normally do, play Candy Crush Saga. I’m not the only one playing either; I see so many people daily mindlessly staring at a screen filled with candy! This article from Time’s business section is really interesting about the Candy Crush phenomenon!
Next time I’m heading to the train, I’m definitely going to pick up a copy of the Times to play KenKen!!
http://business.time.com/2013/11/15/candy-crush-saga-the-science-behind-our-addiction/
I also just read an article about Candy Crush, because it caught my eye when I first saw it since, like Nicolette, I play Candy crush on the train to pass. In high school I used to always do the crossword puzzle and the sudoku in the AM New York and the Metro on the train but I never actually got into KenKen. Your post just motivated me to get back into actually getting back into those puzzles in the morning and maybe even trying out KenKen. I never got into it because it used to frustrate me but that was a long time ago and I think it’d be a lot less frustrating if I attempted it again. I hadn’t even realized that I substituted doing challenging puzzles with Candy Crush but it now makes sense to me after reading how addicting the game is and recognizing that I too, am obsessed. It’s a little scary how much power one game has and makes you think about how much technology is really taking over. But I know personally, I’ll definitely be getting back into those puzzles I used to do in the morning! Here is the article that discusses Candy Crush’s recent success: http://venturebeat.com/2013/12/06/candy-crush-saga-reaches-new-heights-as-designer-explains-its-success/
KenKen seems like a really interesting game. I immediately thought of Sudoku when I began reading this post. I’m neutral with Sudoku — I don’t hate it nor love it. I just don’t play it often because I find it too difficult to play, and I’m really impatient. I feel like I would act the same way with this game. It’s great that there’s another game that passes the time as well as challenges your mind. Now that I think about it, it reminds me a bit of the game, Flow, in that both are both rather challenging intellectually. Flow doesn’t involve numbers, but it does make you think outside the box to beat the level. I don’t think I’d ever play KenKen, but it’s nice to know that there’s the option out there!
I never heard of KenKen before either. It seems like an interesting game and I think i should try it. I never got into Sudoku, but that is because I get too lazy to play. The concept seems simple enough and I think I could get the hang of it in time. I like this post a lot!
I have heard of this puzzle but never knew it was called KenKen. I never played it before but I have watched someone play it once. It seems like an interesting puzzle with simple rules making it a minute to learn how to play and a lifetime to completely master the puzzle just like Sudoku. I never thought of actually playing the game before but maybe one day when I am bored I might decide to play now. Very interesting post.