By Kenny Chee

DOCTOR Mark Nowacki created number puzzle Shady Puzzle in 2005 to teach his students here logical thinking.

But a surprise awaited the 40-year-old Singapore Management University assistant professor and founder of the LogicMills School of Thinking.

So many students and their parents asked him for more puzzles that he decided to release a book of the puzzles here last December.

Another volume is expected to be released this month.

Shady Puzzle is one of several made-in-Singapore logic puzzles that have been developed in the last 10 months.

On the appeal of logic puzzles in Singapore, Dr Nowacki said: "These days, when so much of our lives are out of our control, puzzles provide welcome relief. We know that there is an answer and we know that it is something that we can find for ourselves."

Former NTUC Income chief executive Tan Kin Lian, 61, said that Singaporeans enjoy solving logic puzzles because many are good in mathematics and science.

He has his own line of puzzle books, the first of which was released in 2006.

The book contained Logic9, his version of the popular Sudoku number puzzle.

Asked why he had written that book, he said: "As Sudoku was popular in several places then, such as Britain, Australia, India and Hong Kong, I was quite confident that it would catch on in Singapore."

This year, he released two puzzle books.

Another logic puzzle made here - Rubik's Cube-like puzzles Cubedron and Cybedron - has been a hit overseas.

They were created by home-grown start-up Mindstrat Puzzles, founded by puzzle lover Siva Subramaniam, a Singapore permanent resident, and his Greek friend, Mr Pantazis Constantine Houlis.

Mr Subramaniam, 38, said that they will hit major retail stores here within two months.

Singapore would serve well as a puzzle-makers' hub because it respects and protects intellectual property, so there would be less chance of the puzzles being bootlegged, he said.

How to play

Cubedron
Players have to tilt a sphere containing a cube to align the cube's puzzle pieces by colour. An original puzzle concept.
How much: $38 from www.mindstratpuzzles.com and $34 at Comics Connection. See www.comicsconnection. com.sg a for list of outlets.

Shady Puzzle
Players have to figure out how many squares in a grid they have to shade with the help of number clues. An original puzzle concept.
How much: $16.90 from major bookshops and www.shadypuzzle.com

Intelligence Quiz
Players are presented with a scenario and have to figure out the solution with the clues given. Inspired by Einstein's Intelligence Quiz.
How much: $7.90 from major bookshops and www.easyapps.sg

Shape Quiz
Players have to rearrange a given set of shapes into specific patterns. Inspired by the classic T puzzle.
How much: $7.90 at www.easyapps.sg

kennyc@sph.com.sg

For more my paper stories click here.