Wayne Gould
FameRank: 3

"Wayne Gould" (?????) (born 3 July 1945 in Hawera, New Zealand) is a retired Hong Kong judge, most recently known for helping to popularise sudoku puzzles in the United Kingdom, and thereafter in the United States.

He pioneered the global success and popularity of the Sudoku puzzle outside Japan where it had been popular for many years. Gould spent 6 years developing a computer program, known as Pappocom Sudoku that could mass-produce puzzles for the global market.

His work led to the publication of sudoku puzzles in many List of newspapers in the United Kingdom/UK newspapers.

Part of his strategy in the U.S. market was offering newspapers a daily puzzle at no charge, unique to each paper, for publication accompanied by an offer of its solution via the Pappocom website. The website also offered those consulting it a low-cost program that generates and, if desired, assists in solving, unlimited Sudoku puzzles of a difficulty and style specified by the user.

He is also editor of several paperback collections of the puzzles called Su Doku: The Utterly Addictive Number-placing Puzzle, 2005 in literature/published in 2005 by The Times Books (ISBN 0-00-720732-8, ISBN 0-00-721350-6, ISBN 0-00-721426-X).

He was named one of the 'World's Most Influential People' of 2006 by Time (magazine)/Time magazine.

More Wayne Gould on Wikipedia.

These guys are quite exceptional. They're practically off the planet. I can't begin to understand how they do the puzzles. It's all a bit too stressful and serious for me!

I retired so I would have more time. Now I'm even busier than I was before.

I have met people who you would expect to be brilliant and they have a blind spot for this puzzle. And I have met people without as much education who do very well with it.

Wealthier than I was.

It's not like this was a 12-hour a day job, It was more like a six to nine.

Endless puzzles made up on the spot, all fresh and original.

I'm not surprised that people like the puzzle -- I thought that was almost certain. I am surprised at how people have gotten into a frenzy about it.