Sudoku is one of the world’s most popular puzzle games, but there are still a lot of misunderstandings, myths and misconceptions about the game. It’s hard to know why such a simple game of numbers and blank spaces can be so mysterious, but some people just don’t know the true story about what Sudoku really is.

Here are few of the most common Sudoku myths and misconceptions – and the reality:

Thomas Snyder is an American Sudoku master who has won multiple world championships in Sudoku. In this video, he discusses the mindset and thought processes that he uses to solve Sudoku puzzles. Here are a few lessons that we can learn from how world champion Thomas Snyder approaches Sudoku puzzles: