Here are some lessons from the World Cup and other high-level Sudoku competitions:

The variety of logical solutions is an important factor. Speed is also important.

Participants of the Sudoku World Championship solve a variety of puzzles with different levels of difficulty - easy, medium and difficult. The solutions to each puzzle have time limits. Participants are evaluated depending on how quickly they can complete the next task. The winner is the one who solves the next puzzle faster than others. 

The conditions of the competition may vary

When the American Sudoku master Thomas Snyder won the first U.S. National Sudoku Championship in 2007, he completed a series of three puzzles (easy, medium and difficult) in 9 minutes, 59 seconds. This is more than 8 minutes faster than anyone else has managed to do. In the final round, Snyder and two other finalists solved Sudoku puzzles on large playing fields measuring 4 x 4 feet. Thus, 1000 spectators could clearly see all the numbers as they were placed on the playing field. It was an unusual task for the players. Usually, when solving puzzles, players deal with a small Sudoku grid located on a piece of paper, in a mobile application or on a monitor screen. 

Setting world records

As part of each Sudoku World Championship, participants try to set a new world record for the speed of solving puzzles. At the time of writing, U.S. Sudoku leader Thomas Snyder is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest participant in Sudoku competitions. He once solved a Sudoku puzzle in less than 90 seconds.

The prize pool can reach significant sizes

Although there are officially no professional Sudoku players in the United States, the prize funds for major competitions can be quite significant. For example, when Thomas Snyder won the U.S. Sudoku Championship in 2007, the grand prize was $10,000. People quoted Snyder as saying that he used some of his prize money to go to other Sudoku tournaments. You may never get rich from Sudoku, but if you are one of the world's best players, you can afford to fly first class to the next competition. 

Sudoku tournaments gather a unique community

In this video interview with Thomas Snyder, he talks about how fun it is to travel the world, heading to Sudoku tournaments and meeting other puzzle game enthusiasts from different countries. There is a good sense of camaraderie at Sudoku competitions. Puzzle solving champions from all over the world share their tips and gain a lot of skills from each other. If you like to solve puzzles, you might want to take part in Sudoku competitions.

Put your skills to the test and challenge yourself on the website (kick me).