Like Sudoku, O'Ekaki provides an entertaining test of one's logic, using a grid of boxes as its playing field. But rather than leaving the player with nothing more than a bunch of numbers, O'Ekaki ends with a flourish: an interesting piece of art that evolves as boxes are darkened until the puzzle is successfully completed. It's a puzzle that utilizes both sides of a person's brain! And each puzzle's title is an amusing clue to the picture that will finally emerge.
Simple instructions are included at the front of the book to get one started along with some useful tips. The puzzles challenge on several levels, from one pencil--beginner--to five pencils--expert--all resulting in a sometimes quite elaborate picture. Many of the O'Ekaki puzzles in O'Ekaki Heaven have a spiritual theme to their outcomes. Still, don't be fooled; some of the more difficult puzzles can be downright devilish!
"Tetsuya Nishio is the undisputed grand ‘puzzle master’ of Sudoku: a bespectacled fiend from the darkest suburbs of Tokyo who spends his every waking hour devising abominable new ways to torture our brain cells. His only weapon is logic, but, in his own words, ‘it is a knife that kills.’ His commitment to deviousness is absolute." —The Times (U.K.)
"Tetsuya Nishio has one of the world's most creative puzzle-making minds. I'm a big fan." --Will Shortz, Crossword Editor, New York Times; Puzzlemaster, NPR.
The Times of London calls Tetsuya Nishio the undisputed grand "puzzle master" of Sudoku: "a bespectacled fiend from the darkest suburbs of Tokyo who spends his every waking hour devising abominable new ways to torture our brain cells." Tetsuya invented O-ekaki puzzles in the late 1980s, and is one of the first puzzle developers to custom-make logic puzzles such as Sudoku, which had until then been computer creations. Nishio is also the chairman of the Japan Puzzle Team at the annual World Puzzle Championships, and is a contributor to Higher Sudoku.View titles by Tetsuya Nishio
Like Sudoku, O'Ekaki provides an entertaining test of one's logic, using a grid of boxes as its playing field. But rather than leaving the player with nothing more than a bunch of numbers, O'Ekaki ends with a flourish: an interesting piece of art that evolves as boxes are darkened until the puzzle is successfully completed. It's a puzzle that utilizes both sides of a person's brain! And each puzzle's title is an amusing clue to the picture that will finally emerge.
Simple instructions are included at the front of the book to get one started along with some useful tips. The puzzles challenge on several levels, from one pencil--beginner--to five pencils--expert--all resulting in a sometimes quite elaborate picture. Many of the O'Ekaki puzzles in O'Ekaki Heaven have a spiritual theme to their outcomes. Still, don't be fooled; some of the more difficult puzzles can be downright devilish!
Praise
"Tetsuya Nishio is the undisputed grand ‘puzzle master’ of Sudoku: a bespectacled fiend from the darkest suburbs of Tokyo who spends his every waking hour devising abominable new ways to torture our brain cells. His only weapon is logic, but, in his own words, ‘it is a knife that kills.’ His commitment to deviousness is absolute." —The Times (U.K.)
"Tetsuya Nishio has one of the world's most creative puzzle-making minds. I'm a big fan." --Will Shortz, Crossword Editor, New York Times; Puzzlemaster, NPR.
Author
The Times of London calls Tetsuya Nishio the undisputed grand "puzzle master" of Sudoku: "a bespectacled fiend from the darkest suburbs of Tokyo who spends his every waking hour devising abominable new ways to torture our brain cells." Tetsuya invented O-ekaki puzzles in the late 1980s, and is one of the first puzzle developers to custom-make logic puzzles such as Sudoku, which had until then been computer creations. Nishio is also the chairman of the Japan Puzzle Team at the annual World Puzzle Championships, and is a contributor to Higher Sudoku.View titles by Tetsuya Nishio
