What puzzles you?

I've always been a big fan of crossword puzzles, mainly because of my love of words and a demonic curse of self-competition. (Who cares about besting others? Beating yourself - that's what's important! OK, that sounds kind of twisted now that I look at it.) Anyway, over the last 10 years or so I've come to believe (whether true or not) that if I can make a decent stab at a respectable crossword (so the ones in People or TV Guide don't count) everyday, it will go a long way to stave off impending mental degeneration.

I've always shied away from number puzzles because, well, see, they involve numbers. However - for you number-phobics and number-philes alike - the current fad of sudoku sweeping the world has gotten under my skin. I discovered the puzzles about four months ago in The London Times, but you can find them in most newspapers now, I think. The great thing about sudoku is that it involves NO math! Numbers, yes. Math, no. It's really a logic-arrangement thing that I suspect works another part of the brain. (See, I'm still trying to ward off flaking grey matter.)

Here's a simple explanation of how it works (from The Economist):

The game's appeal is that its rules are as simple as its solution is complex. On a board of nine-by-nine squares, most of them empty, players must fill in each square with a number so that each row (left to right), column (top to bottom) and block (in bold lines) contains 1 to 9. Advanced versions use bigger boards or add letters from the alphabet.

I print them off from wherever I can find them (see Times link above) and stuff them in my purse to noodle over whenever I get the chance - restaurants, waiting rooms, etc. Oh, and I also carry a pencil, too. Even though I work crosswords in - ahem - ink, there's a lot more trial and error involved in sudoku puzzles. Give 'em a try - you could become addicted.

It's Saturday and I'm off to run errands and do those lovely chores. Go have some fun and try to hold those brain cells together!