And Kaji, who called himself the "Godfather of Sudoku," was a once-in-a-lifetime creator. By the mid-2000s, magazines in the UK, US and other pockets of the Western world were publishing their own Sudoku puzzles. But Kaji had only trademarked Sudoku in Japan -- the rest of the Sudoku puzzles were copycats he didn't have a hand in. ​​In his 2008 speech, he said he thought, "'I would be happier to see everyone in the world enjoy Sudoku more easily.'" "I enjoy my staff saying they are proud of their job, I enjoy a glass of wine with my wife every night, and I enjoy horse racing every weekend.

Source: CNN August 17, 2021 19:18 UTC