Rohan Rao

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Rohan Rao
RohanRao.JPG
Born
Mumbai, India
NationalityFlag of India.svg  India
Years active2007-present

Rohan Rao, who goes by the name vopani, [1] [2] is an Indian sudoku and puzzle solver, widely considered as the best sudoku solver of India. [3] He is the reigning Indian Sudoku Champion and Times of India Sudoku Champion. Rao has won 18 national championships, an all-time record, and has been one of the best Indians at the World Sudoku Championship (WSC), World Puzzle Championship (WPC) and Asian Sudoku Championship (ASC). He won the Indian Sudoku Championship nine times, in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] the Indian Puzzle Championship five times, in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] and the Times National Sudoku Championship four times, in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2019. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26]

Contents

Rao was ranked 3rd in ASC 2021, 23rd in WSC 2019 and 39th in WPC 2019. He stood 8th in the World Sudoku Championship 2012 to become the first Indian to be ranked in the top-10 in the World in Sudoku. He stood 3rd at the Asian Sudoku Championship 2018 [27] to become the first Indian to finish on the podium of an international WPF Sudoku Championship. He finished 3rd again at ASC 2019 [28] and improved his performance with a 2nd-place finish at ASC 2020. [29]

He was the director of the World Sudoku Championship 2017 and core organizer of World Sudoku and Puzzle Championship 2017 held in October, 2017 in Bengaluru, India. [30] As part of his puzzling career, Rao has authored and organized various puzzle and sudoku championships, events and workshops across India and the world. [31]

Championships

Indian Sudoku Championship

Rao won his first Indian Sudoku Championship title in 2010, beating veteran solvers Ritesh Gupta (three-time and defending champion), Rishi Puri and Gaurav Korde in the finals to become the youngest ever national champion at the age of 19 years, 9 days. Since then he has won eight more times, making him the most successful player in the tournament.

He finished on the podium for 12 consecutive years (2010-2021). No other player has finished on the podium for more than 4 consecutive years.

Indian Puzzle Championship

Rao won his first Indian Puzzle Championship title in 2010, pipping veteran solver Rajesh Kumar to become the youngest ever national champion at the age of 19 years, 240 days. Since then he has won four more times, matching Kumar's tally of 5 titles.

Asian Sudoku Championship

The Asian Sudoku Championship was first held in 2018 where Rao stood third. He finished on the podium for four consecutive years with his 3rd-place in 2019, 2nd-place in 2020 and 3rd-place in 2021.

Career statistics

National Championships

18 Gold, 7 Silver, 7 Bronze

Ranks in the Indian Sudoku Championship, Indian Puzzle Championship, and Times Sudoku Championship.

YearNational Championships
ISCIPCTSC
20211st2nd
20201st3rd
20191st3rd1st
20181st2nd3rd
20171st1st
20161st2nd1st
20153rd1st1st
20142nd2nd3rd
20132nd4th3rd
20121st1st1st
20111st1st
20101st1st
20094th2nd
200811th3rd

Asian Championships

4 ASC Appearances

Ranks in the Asian Sudoku Championship (ASC)

YearAsian Championships
ASC
20213rd
20202nd
20193rd
20183rd

World Championships

11 WSC Appearances, 11 WPC Appearances

Ranks in the World Sudoku Championship (WSC), World Puzzle Championship (WPC)

YearWorld Championships
WSCWPC
201923rd39th
201817th44th
2017DirectorOrganizer
201618th28th
201514th42nd
201414th36th
201316th45th
20128th38th
201112th34th
201015th41st
200925th
200868th

See also

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References

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  17. Indian Puzzle Championship 2015
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  19. Times Sudoku Championship 2012
  20. "Su-doku Championship: India's Fantastic 4 now set sights on Croatia". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  21. Times Sudoku Championship 2015
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