The SuDoku World's Contest Rules

To solve SuDoku, fill in the grid so that each row, column and box must end up containing all of the numbers FROM 1 to 9, or, in other words, every number FROM 1 to 9 must appear in:

Each of the nine 3x3 boxes;
Each of the nine vertical columns;
Each of the nine horizontal rows.

To solve the puzzles you may have some help FROM our online solver or even a third party's solver but our SmartPuzzlingEngine® will prevent cheating to guarantee a fair contest experience.

When you apply for SmartPrize™ membership you will receive credits which allow you to solve a number of puzzles. For less difficult SuDoku puzzles you will spend more credits and vice versa. Difficult puzzles are rewarded with more points leading to a bigger score. (see TABLE below)

There are a monthly "Top 10" and an overall "Top 100". The "top 10" is the base classification to decide the monthly prizes and will be reset each month on the first day. The "top 100" will SHOW the best 100 players during the entire period of the contest. Bigger scores mean better positions in the top.

A valid score depends on some variables as difficulty level, time taken to solve the Sudoku and slightly increase with the number of solved /played puzzles.

Both classifications will be watched closely by a jury. The jury has five members: one member is delegated by the producer; two members are well known puzzle industry personalities; one member is a delegated reporter and one is a member elected by the contestants after the contest’s beginning. The members of the jury may change during the contest by their will or if the community vote so.

SmartPrize™ may award monthly prizes for the most active players. In fact, one out of every 5 correct solutions is picked randomly. The contestants with valid solutions get cash prizes, merchandise prizes, travel prizes, prize credits or special prizes FROM our sponsors.

The SuDoku World’s Contest Prize starts at £1,000.00 and may rise up to an incredible amount of £100,000.00. SmartPrize™ will pay The SuDoku World’s Contest Prize in sterling or its equivalent at the prevailing exchange rate to the player who will prove to be the best.

The judges may decide to raise the SuDoku World’s Contest Prize depending on the number of the players participating.

The currently contest round will end-up on 30 June 2006 ("the Closing Date"). The jury will decide the best 15 contestants FROM the overall "Top 100" and randomly SELECT other 15 more FROM all the active contestants to attend the final confrontation in ORDER to win The SuDoku World’s Contest Prize. Only one big prize will be awarded in a special designed TV show, after judges decide if there is a winner. The shows’ venue and all other details will be made public within 14 days following the closing date.

The contest DATA will be reset on 1 July 2006 and further SuDoku puzzles solved after that date will enter the next contest round until 31 December 2006. If there will be no overall winner, this process will be repeated until the closing date of 31 December 2007. The results of each of the contest rounds and the announcement of any winner will be published in the SmartPrize™ web site.

The winners must pay any tax on the prizes, according with their local regulations. Anyone aged 18 or over, other than SmartPrize team, the judges or associated companies or employees or their families may enter. The contest is also opened for persons younger than 18 with their tutors’ consent.

The judges will not be responsible for incomplete information entered by the user, incorrectly or delayed entries. Entries contrary to these Rules will be disqualified by the judges.

The winners will be notified by email. The winners must allow their names, likeness and home town to be used in publicity.

By entering the competition you agree to be bound by these rules and by the Terms & Conditions of this web site. The judges will interpret these rules and will not award the prize to any invalid entry. Their decisions will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. The English text shall prevail.