Calif. man crowned U.S. Sudoku champ

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- A California man Saturday became the first-ever U.S. Sudoku champion.

Dr. Thomas Snyder of Palo Alto won the first U.S. Sudoku Championship in Philadelphia, solving an advanced number puzzle in 7 minutes, 9 seconds, it was announced in a news release. Snyder took home a $10,000 prize and will be one of six U.S. team members who will compete in the third annual world championship next year in India.

Sudoku is a brain-teaser puzzle in which players fill in a grid with numbers 1 through 9, without repeating any digits within a row.

The U.S. event, sponsored by The Philadelphia Inquirer, attracted 857 competitors in three skill levels and was witnessed by a crowd of more than 300.

"Sudoku hit a home run in Philadelphia this weekend," said Brian P. Tierney, chief executive officer of Philadelphia Media Holdings and Philadelphia Inquirer publisher.