He isn't bragging. On the way to a puzzle contest in Brazil last week, Snyder warmed up for the U.S. tournament by zipping through a Sudoku rated "easy" in 52 seconds, obliterating two marks he posted last year with Guinness World Records.
Snyder's puzzle prowess has brought him a little bit of fame, although he observes dryly that he hasn't used it yet as a pickup line.
And this weekend, it may bring him a little bit of fortune. The U.S. championship has a top prize of $10,000, which puzzlemaster Will Shortz, host of the event, says may be the largest prize ever for a Sudoku tournament.
The winner will be sent in March to participate in the world championships in Goa, India. Snyder, a Harvard Ph.D. in chemistry and a post-doctoral fellow in bioengineering at Stanford University, was going to make the trip anyway but now has a chance to do it at someone else's expense.
Snyder is one of more than 700 puzzlers who had signed up by yesterday afternoon for the tournament, which will be held Saturday at the Convention Center.
Fortunately for their self-esteem, everybody need not face Snyder, who will compete in the advanced division. The championship will include intermediate and beginner categories. The intermediate winner will take home $5,000 and the neophyte champ will pocket $3,000.
Whether playing for prizes or just for relaxation, puzzlers around the world are in thrall to Sudoku (pronounced Soo-DOH-koo).
No humdrum conundrum, Sudoku has branded its 81-square grid on the brains of pencil wielders from Japan to Britain to the United States.
Millions of Americans play Sudoku, and virtually every U.S. newspaper runs a daily Sudoku. (The notable exception, the New York Times, puts its Sudokus online.)
Some of what makes Sudoku attractive is common to other puzzles.
Like a crossword, Sudoku triggers a human compulsion "to fill in spaces, to put things in order," explains Shortz, editor of the Times crossword.
