MAKI Kaji was known as the father of the numbers puzzle Sudoku.

       On August 10, 2021, it was announced that Kaji had passed away at his home in Tokyo.

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       Maki Kaji What was Maki Kaji's cause of death?

       Kaji died after losing his battle with bile duct cancer.

       Known as “the Godfather of Sudoku” he was the first to name the puzzle — although some claim the concept came from the Arab world in the 8th or 9th century.

       It involves putting the numbers one to nine in each row, column, and square of a nine by nine grid and has become a worldwide favourite.

       Sudoku is an abbreviation of a Japanese term that means “the numbers (or digits) must remain single.”

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       Maki Kaji holds copies of the latest sudoku puzzles at the Book Expo, in New York, June 3, 2007 Credit: Reuters

       Kaji first published the numbers game in his Japanese magazine in the 1980s.

       Kaji did not trademark the name so did not make money from the puzzle’s runaway success.

       But he maintained that the joy of a brainteaser was more important than financial gain.

       He told the BBC in 2007 a new idea for a puzzle was “like finding treasure.”

       “Kaji-san came up with the name Sudoku and was loved by puzzle fans from all over the world. We are grateful from the bottom of our hearts for the patronage you have shown throughout his life,” company Nikoli said in a statement.

       Why did Kaji create Sudoku?

       Kaji said he created the puzzle to be easy for children and others who didn’t want to think too hard.

       It wasn’t until 2004 when Sudoku became a global hit, after a fan from New Zealand pitched it and got it published in the British newspaper The Times.

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       Two years later, Japan rediscovered its own puzzle as a “gyakuyunyu,” or “reimport.”

       Sudoku championships have drawn some 200 million people in 100 countries over the years, according to Tokyo-based Nikoli.

       Maki travelled globally to spread his enjoyment of puzzles.