Nikoli (publisher)

Nikoli
Founded1980; 44 years ago (1980)
FounderMaki Kaji
Country of originJapan
Publication typesPuzzles, Magazines
Official websitenikoli.co.jp

Nikoli Co., Ltd. (Japanese: 株式会社ニコリ, Hepburn: Kabushiki-gaisha, Nikori) is a Japanese publisher that specializes in games and, especially, logic puzzles. Nikoli is also the nickname of a quarterly magazine (whose full name is Puzzle Communication Nikoli) issued by the company in Tokyo.[1] Nikoli was established in 1980,[1] and became prominent worldwide with the popularity of Sudoku.

The name "Nikoli" comes from the racehorse who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas in 1980; the founder of Nikoli, Maki Kaji, was fond of horseracing and betting.[2]

Nikoli is notable for its vast library of "culture independent" puzzles. An example of a language/culture-dependent genre of puzzle would be the crossword, which relies on a specific language and alphabet. For this reason Nikoli's puzzles are often purely logical, and often numerical.

Nikoli's Sudoku, the most popular logic problem in Japan,[3] was popularized in the English-speaking world in 2005, though that game has a history stretching back hundreds of years and across the globe.[4]

The magazine has invented several new genres of puzzles, and introduced several new games to Japan.

  1. ^ a b "Puzzles". Nikoli. Retrieved 2018-01-04.
  2. ^ Bellos, Alex (2017). Puzzle Ninja. Guardian Books and Faber & Faber Ltd. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-4521-7105-0.
  3. ^ "Nikoli Co.". Archived from the original on 2008-04-12. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  4. ^ Pegg, Ed Jr. (2005-09-15). "Ed Pegg Jr.'s Math Games: Sudoku Variations". MAA Online. The Mathematical Association of America. Archived from the original on 2006-10-13. Retrieved 2006-10-03.