FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                   Contact: Gregg Sullivan
(718) 874-9512
gregg@sullivanandpartners.com

St. Martin’s Press to Publish KENKEN™ Puzzle Books Exclusively in North America 

“The most addictive puzzle since Sudoku.” 
-- Will Shortz, New York Times Crossword Puzzle Editor

Already identified as the “the successor to Sudoku” and “the new Sudoku” by The Times (UK), KenKen, a new puzzle game, is taking the world by storm.  Now, its sights are set on the United States.  On October 14, 2008, St. Martin’s Press will exclusively release the first three KenKen books in the United States.  Edited by New York Times Crossword Puzzle editor Will Shortz, each of the books-- Will Shortz Presents KenKen Easiest Volume 1, Will Shortz Presents KenKen Easy Volume 2, and Will Shortz Presents KenKen Easy to Hard Volume 3-- will contain 100 puzzles of varying difficulty.  St. Martin’s Press has sold over 10 million Will Shortz Presents Sudoku books to date, and KenKen promises to be just as addictive, enjoyable and successful as Sudoku.

What is KenKen?:

KenKen is a new type of puzzle based on using the skills of simple arithmetic.  Each puzzle involves some or all of: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.  The size of KenKen puzzles can vary from 3x3 to 9x9 squares, thereby making it possible to create countless puzzles at many different levels of difficulty, ranging from very easy to extremely difficult.

KenKen improves players’ powers of concentration and logic.  In the process of solving a KenKen puzzle, the player is subconsciously performing many stimulating mental calculations.   As a result, players improve their number and logic skills without even realizing it.

The Buzz on KenKen:

KenKen has already sold over 1.5 million books internationally, and appears twice daily alongside Sudoku in the London Times.  This September, KenKen will be available to thousands of newspapers and magazines in the United States through United Feature Syndicate.  In addition, www.KenKen.com is launching this year.  This fall, KenKen will be the buzz among puzzlers and game players across the country.

What is the origin of KenKen:

KenKen was invented in 2004 by Japanese mathematics educator Tetsuya Miyamoto.  The puzzles became wildly popular in Japan in 2006, after they were published in books by Gakken and given the name KenKen, meaning “square wisdom.” 

Will Shortz and KenKen:

A little over a year ago, a colleague introduced KenKen to Mr. Shortz, and within a week he was “hopelessly addicted” to the puzzle.  Noting Sudoku’s success, Mr. Shortz says, “Sometimes a brand new puzzle will come along and take the world by storm.”  As examples he cites the crossword puzzle in the 1920s, the jigsaw puzzle in the 1930s and the Rubik’s cube in the 1980s—all clearly major cultural phenomena.  KenKen promises to hold a similar place in the puzzle pantheon, and with Will Shortz at the helm, puzzlers around the country will have many hours of head-scratching enjoyment.

"KENKEN is a trademark of Nextoy LLC used under license.  Puzzle contents © Gakken Co. Ltd.   All rights reserved." 

To book Will Shortz for an interview, please contact Gregg Sullivan at 718-874-9512 or gregg@sullivanandpartners.com.
Will Shortz Presents KenKen Easiest Volume 1
Will Shortz Presents KenKen Easy Volume 2
Will Shortz Presents KenKen Easy to Hard Volume 3
Publication Date: October 14, 2008
$7.95
ISBN: 0-312-54739-4 (Easiest)
0-312-38279-0 (Easy)
0-312-54636-6 (Easy to Hard)