Sundog Books hosts Sudoku for Labor Day weekend

SEASIDE, FL - Sudoku has been all the rage for several years now with those who enjoy challenging the brain.

Sundog Books at Seaside will host a book signing with author Charles Lantz, who has written two books on Sudoku, “Sudoku Sam’s Starting Out Right Strategy For Solving Sudoku,” and “Sudoku Sam’s No Notes Strategy For Solving Sudoku.”

Lantz will hold a workshop and sign his books in the room above Sundog Books Sept. 5 and 6 from 2 - 5 p.m.

Sudoku Sam is the pen name used by the author. Lantz lives in Roswell, Ga., and has a second home in Seagrove.

Lantz got into the Sudoku craze while on vacation in St. Barts almost four years ago. He picked up a strategy book while there and thought the book was more complex than the puzzles it offered to help solve.

“I trained as a scientist and have done real estate holdings and investing and just got back from China where I took pictures of the eclipse. Maybe all that gives me a different view of puzzle solving,” he said. “I am more interested in the process than solving puzzles, so I have diametrically opposing viewpoints on strategy.”

Lantz began looking outside the box for solutions. He became involved with the process, started going to competitions, talked to leading people in Sudoku and videoed champions to analyze their game. The result was that he developed his own unique four-face strategy.

“I looked at every possible solution and divided my strategy into four compartments, designated by color. This whittles away the copious notes that most Sudoku workers use,” he said.

Lantz feels the result is that his books portray the strategy used by champions.

In the 3.5 years since he was bitten by the Sudoku bug, Lantz has competed in two championships in Philadelphia, published his two books and sold more than 100 copies at the competitions.