It is the challenge puzzle-lovers have been waiting for: The world's toughest Sudoku.
The brainchild of Finnish mathematical whizz Arto Inkala, it took him three months to compile - and could take you even longer to solve.
Those who don't have luck on their side could spend months of tea breaks or hours of train journeys with their pen poised over the grid.
Dr Inkala, an environmental scientist with a doctorate in science and applied mathematics, who compiles puzzles in his spare time, said: 'Some people might make three or four lucky guesses and so be able to solve it in 15 minutes or half an hour and will wonder why it is said to be so difficult.
'But it will normally take days to solve by logic.' The puzzle was commissioned by Efamol, maker of brain-boosting omega-3 supplements, and was generated by a computer program devised by Dr Inkala.
Twenty-three of the 81 squares are already filled in - and there is only one solution.
Removing even one of these numbers would have vastly increased the number of possible solutions, making it easier to solve by luck alone.
So its difficulty - and frustration factor - lies in the number of mental leaps needed to complete each square.
Like chess, those trying to solve it will have to think several moves ahead. Many exasperating deadends have also been built in.
As those who try the puzzles in the Daily Mail's Coffee Break section each day will know, the object is to fill each of the nine blocks with the numbers one to nine. Each vertical nine- square column or horizontal nine-square row must also contain each of the numbers, without any repetitions or omissions.
While Dr Inkala clearly has a strong background in maths, puzzle-solvers need not even know how to add up. Instead, he says, logic, patience and care are key.
'I think Sudoku's popularity lies in its simple rules; they are very easy to follow,' he said. 'It is very enjoyable - when you finally solve the puzzle.'
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