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If you’ve ever sat down with a hot cup of coffee, a pen, and a grid of empty boxes staring back at you, then you probably know the quiet thrill—and the occasional agony—of Sudoku. For me, it started as a casual distraction on long train rides. I wasn’t looking for anything more than a way to pass time, but what I found was a strange little ritual that ended up teaching me patience, logic, and even a bit of humility.

First Encounters: “Just Numbers, How Hard Could It Be?”

My very first encounter with Sudoku was years ago, buried in the back pages of a free commuter newspaper. At first glance, it looked almost laughably simple: just nine rows, nine columns, and a few scattered numbers already filled in. No math, no fancy symbols—just the digits 1 through 9. I figured, “How hard could this be?”