# World Sudoku Championship

The World Sudoku Championship (WSC) is an annual international puzzle competition organised by a national member of the World Puzzle Federation. The first event was held in Lucca, Italy, in 2006. National teams are determined by local affiliates of the World Puzzle Federation. The competition typically consists of 100 or more puzzles solved by all competitors over multiple timed rounds, including classic sudoku, variations and other puzzle types, normally followed by a playoff for the top qualifiers to determine a champion. Examples of rounds include the Relay round, where an answer from one puzzle contributes digits to the start of the next sudoku, and the "World Record" round, in which solvers competed to set a Guinness World Record for fastest sudoku solution.
Of the 16 championships held so far, Kota Morinishi of Japan (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018) has been the most successful winner with four individual titles, over Thomas Snyder of United States (2007, 2008 and 2011) and Jan Mrozowski of Poland (2009, 2010 and 2012) who have each won three.
From 2007 there has also been a team competition. Japan is the most successful team, having won the title six times (in 2007, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2023); Czech Republic (2008, 2016, 2022), and China (2013, 2017, 2019) have each won the title three times.
Starting from 2011, the event has been held alongside the World Puzzle Championship series, which is also organised by the World Puzzle Federation.

## Participants

Currently, 30 countries are official members of the World Puzzle Federation. Individuals may also take part if their country is not already represented by a national team.
The 2025 World Sudoku and Puzzle Championships is planned to take place in Eger, Hungary.

## Results summary

| Year | Host city | Host nation | Individual | Individual | Individual | Team | Team | Team |
| Year | Host city | Host nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 2024 | Beijing | China | Ming Letian | Dai Tantan | Hu Yuxuan | China | Japan | United States |
| 2023 | Toronto | Canada | Dai Tantan | Tiit Vunk | Kota Morinishi | Japan | Czech Republic | United States |
| 2022 | Kraków | Poland | Tiit Vunk | Dai Tantan | Kota Morinishi | Czech Republic | Japan | Estonia |
| 2021 | Shanghai | China | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020 | Shanghai | China | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2019 | Kirchheim | Germany | Ken Endo | Kota Morinishi | Dai Tantan | China | Japan | Czech Republic |
| 2018 | Prague | Czech Republic | Kota Morinishi | Bastien Vial-Jaime | Tiit Vunk | Japan | China | Germany |
| 2017 | Bangalore | India | Kota Morinishi | Tiit Vunk | Qiu Yanzhe | China | Japan | France |
| 2016 | Senec | Slovakia | Tiit Vunk | Jakub Ondroušek | Kota Morinishi | Czech Republic | China | Japan |
| 2015 | Sofia | Bulgaria | Kota Morinishi | Tiit Vunk | Jakub Ondroušek | Japan | China | Czech Republic |
| 2014 | London | United Kingdom | Kota Morinishi | Tiit Vunk | Bastien Vial-Jaime Jakub Ondroušek | Japan | Germany | China |
| 2013 | Beijing | China | Jin Ce | Kota Morinishi | Jakub Ondroušek | China | Czech Republic | Japan |
| 2012 | Kraljevica | Croatia | Jan Mrozowski | Kota Morinishi | Hideaki Jo | Japan | Czech Republic | China |
| 2011 | Eger | Hungary | Thomas Snyder | Kota Morinishi | Tiit Vunk | Germany | Czech Republic | United States |
| 2010 | Philadelphia | United States | Jan Mrozowski | Jakub Ondroušek | Hideaki Jo | Germany | Czech Republic | Japan |
| 2009 | Žilina | Slovakia | Jan Mrozowski | Branko Ceranic | Robert Babilon | Slovakia | Czech Republic | Serbia |
| 2008 | Goa | India | Thomas Snyder | Yuhei Kusui | Jakub Ondroušek | Czech Republic | Japan | Germany |
| 2007 | Prague | Czech Republic | Thomas Snyder | Yuhei Kusui | Peter Hudák | Japan | United States | Czech Republic |
| 2006 | Lucca | Italy | Jana Tylova | Thomas Snyder | Wei-Hwa Huang | - | - | - |
Starting from 2013, titles have been awarded also for the best players in two age groups, Under 18 and Over 50 years of age.
| Year | Under 18 | Under 18 | Under 18 | Over 50 | Over 50 | Over 50 |
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 2024 | Suzhe Qiu | Can Erturan | Yang Leduo | Philippe Meyer | Svetlozar Stefanov | Claudine Thiry |
| 2023 | Suzhe Qiu | Can Erturan | Tina Bratim | Mark Goodliffe | Philippe Meyer | Laura Tarchetti |
| 2022 | Nityant Agarwal | Can Erturan | Valerio Stancanelli | Mark Goodliffe | Taro Arimatsu | Philippe Meyer |
| 2021 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2019 | Ming Letian | Hu Yuxuan | Huang Mingrui | David McNeill | Zoran Tanasic | Joshua Zucker |
| 2018 | Ming Letian | Dai Tantan | Chen Shiyu | Michael Smit | Mark Goodliffe | Taro Arimatsu |
| 2017 | Dai Tantan | Hu Yuxuan | Ming Letian | David McNeill | Mark Goodliffe | Michael Smit |
| 2016 | Qiu Yanzhe | Chen Shiyu | Sun Cheran | Zoran Tanasic | Mark Goodliffe | Taro Arimatsu |
| 2015 | Sun Cheran | Dai Tantan | Chen Nuo | David McNeill | Mark Goodliffe | Zoran Tanasic |
| 2014 | Dai Tantan | Jin Ce | Sun Cheran | David McNeill | Jiri Hrdina | Stefano Forcolin |
| 2013 | Jin Ce | Sun Cheran | Qiu Yanzhe | Henning Kalsgaard Poulsen | Liang Yue | Stefano Forcolin |