Kolkata Hosts 2026 World Sudoku and Puzzle Championships

Kolkata is hosting the 19th World Sudoku Championship and the 33rd World Puzzle Championship from 11 to 18 October 2026. The event is being held at The Westin in Rajarhat and organised by Logic Masters India (LMI), the national representative to the World Puzzle Federation since 2008. Participants from 35 countries are taking part.

Championship format

The programme includes five days of competitive mind-sport events, with 38 rounds, more than 100 Sudoku puzzles and 250 other puzzles created by LMI. Sudoku is a number-placement puzzle commonly presented as a 9-by-9 grid divided into nine 3-by-3 boxes. In the standard format, each row, column and box must contain the digits 1 to 9 without repetition. Puzzle competitions can include different logic and deduction challenges, with formats set by the event organisers.

The 2026 puzzles include themes drawn from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. India previously hosted the World Puzzle Championship in Goa in 2008 and Bengaluru in 2017.

Indian participation and public programme

The Indian team comprises Kishore Kumar Sridharan, Nityant Agarwal, Harsh Poddar, Jaipal Reddy Mogiligundla and Kartik Reddy. Mogiligundla and Reddy are a father-and-son pair. The team is sponsored by Rodha and is targeting a top-five finish. In 2022, Prasanna Seshadri won India’s first silver medal at the World Puzzle Championship in Poland, while Agarwal won the under-18 gold at the World Sudoku Championship.

A public event called Puzzle Palooza is scheduled for 14 October. It includes a LinkedIn Games tournament, a general quiz hosted by Will Shortz and a puzzle-design masterclass organised by LMI. Shortz is the Crossword Editor of The New York Times, while Thomas Snyder is the Principal Puzzlemaster of LinkedIn Games. Matiks is the title sponsor, Amuse Labs is the technology partner, and The Hindu is a media partner.

Important Facts for Exams

• The 2026 event combines the 19th World Sudoku Championship with the 33rd World Puzzle Championship.
• Logic Masters India has represented India at the World Puzzle Federation since 2008.
• India hosted earlier editions of the World Puzzle Championship in Goa in 2008 and Bengaluru in 2017.
• The 2026 championship venue is The Westin in Rajarhat, Kolkata.

The championships run from 11 to 18 October 2026, while the competitive programme spans five days. The Indian team includes five participants, including the father-and-son pair Jaipal Reddy Mogiligundla and Kartik Reddy.