Crafting The Perfect Puzzle: James Sinclair On Handcrafted, Variant Sudoku Hey, Good Game podcast

Crafting the Perfect Puzzle: James Sinclair on Handcrafted, Variant Sudoku

22h ago 52:11

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James Sinclair shares his remarkable journey from immigration lawyer to full-time puzzle crafter and creator of the Artisanal Sudoku Substack—a haven for lovers of elegant, human-made Sudoku variants.

In this episode, James breaks down his puzzle design philosophy, his preference for handcrafted logic over AI generation, and how he’s turned personal passion into a growing newsletter, a community of solvers, and a published puzzle book. The conversation covers everything from the joys and challenges of variant Sudoku to the deeper question: What makes a puzzle satisfying to solve?

James also shares thoughts on monetization, platform choice, audience building, and why central hubs like Logic Masters Germany play a key role in the global puzzle scene. Plus, he previews Sudoku Con, talks about the fog-based puzzle design he’s experimenting with, and gives rapid-fire takes on puzzle pet peeves, dream collaborations, and favorite solves.

🧩 Games, Platforms & Influences Mentioned

Variant Sudoku – His main craft
Artisanal Sudoku – James’s Substack newsletter
Logic Masters Germany (LMG) – Puzzle publishing hub
Cracking the Cryptic – Popular YouTube channel mentioned
Sudoku Con – Community event
Dynamic Fog puzzles – One of James’s current experiments
AI-generated puzzles – Discussed critically

🌐 Websites & Platforms Mentioned

Website: https://artisanalsudoku.substack.com/
https://substack.com/@artisanalsudoku

(00:00) - Introduction and Guest Background
(01:13) - James Sinclair's Favorite Games
(02:26) - Discovering Sudoku
(05:04) - Exploring Variant Sudoku
(08:53) - Starting Artisanal Sudoku
(18:09) - Creating and Publishing Puzzles
(22:12) - Choosing Substack and Growing an Audience
(27:24) - Creating Puzzles for the Newsletter
(28:14) - Logic Master Stot Land: A Puzzle Haven
(29:21) - The Need for a Central Puzzle Platform
(31:40) - Marketing Strategies for Substack
(33:09) - The Journey to Publishing a Sudoku Book
(38:53) - AI and Handcrafted Puzzles
(46:11) - Sudoku Con and Community Events
(47:35) - Rapid Fire Questions and Puzzle Preferences
(50:15) - Dynamic Fog Puzzles and Final Thoughts

Check out our brainy games:

Sumplete - https://sumplete.com
Squeezy - https://imsqueezy.com/
Kakuro Conquest - https://kakuroconquest.com
Mathler - https://mathler.com
Crosswordle - https://crosswordle.com
Sudoku Conquest - https://sudokuconquest.com
Hitori Conquest - https://hitoriconquest.com
Wordga - https://wordga.com