The Sudoku craze might've hit London a couple of decades back, but now there's a London Underground version: Tubedoku.
Created by Sam Dawes, the framing of the game is similar(ish) to Sudoku in that it entails a 3x3 grid, which must be completed with a different answer in each square. No numbers here though: the aim of this game is — you guessed it — to fill the squares with Tube stations that fit the criteria in both the row and column. So, for instance, a one-word station in Zone 2, could be Oval, Stockwell, Kilburn or a number of other combinations.
While there are often multiple correct answers, each Tubedoku grid also has a 'golden' station — one which hits every single criteria. Looking at a Tube map is presumably cheating, although — because all the Tube stations appear in a drop down menu — you can occasionally semi-cheat (e.g. if you're looking for a Central line station that begins with an R, and type in an 'R', Redbridge will appear). But then where's the satisfaction in that?
Sam tells Londonist: "I've always loved daily puzzles, and one day on the Tube I realised the perfect theme was right in front of me."
Tubedoku has an active community of some 200 followers on Reddit, where they share their triumphs and tribulations, and Sam himself often appears to check in on people. Start every day with a Tubedoku puzzle, and soon you'll know the network like the back of your hand.
