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

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 MentionedVariant Sudoku – His main craftArtisanal Sudoku – James’s Substack newsletterLogic Masters Germany (LMG) – Puzzle publishing hubCracking the Cryptic – Popular YouTube channel mentionedSudoku Con – Community eventDynamic Fog puzzles – One of James’s current experimentsAI-generated puzzles – Discussed critically🌐 Websites & Platforms MentionedWebsite: 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.comSqueezy - https://imsqueezy.com/Kakuro Conquest - https://kakuroconquest.comMathler - https://mathler.comCrosswordle - https://crosswordle.comSudoku Conquest - https://sudokuconquest.comHitori Conquest - https://hitoriconquest.comWordga - https://wordga.com