Competitions
From school rounds to the World Championship, every sanctioned event runs on one set of rules.
Upcoming Events
Roll of Champions
Recent international titles, from New York to Dubai.
| Year | Champion | Home | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Zexuan Zheng 11th World KenKen Championship, Hong Kong | China | World Champion, age 11 |
| 2026 | John Gilling 11th World KenKen Championship, Hong Kong | United States | KenKen Founder's Cup |
| 2025 | Moaz Mohamed Salama International Genius Competition, Dubai | Egypt | Champion of Champions |
| 2019 | Satvik Verma International Championship, New York | India | Silver medal |
| 2018 | John Gilling International Championship, Pleasantville | United States | Champion, third straight title |
| 2018 | Aritro Chaterjee International Championship, Pleasantville | UAE | Student champion |
| 2018 | Martin Eiger International Championship, Pleasantville | United States | Runner-up, three-time former champion |
| 2017 | John Gilling International Championship, Pleasantville | United States | Champion |
| 2016 | John Gilling International Championship, New York | United States | Champion |
How Competition Works
Timed rounds
Three qualifying rounds of 18, 22 and 25 minutes, then a 20-minute Championship Round for the leaders.
Age divisions
Students compete in three divisions, Delta, Kappa and Sigma, set by age, with champions crowned in each.
Champion of Champions
The best solver across every division takes the overall title, the highest honour in the championship.
Hosting an event?
Get your tournament sanctioned so its finalists can qualify for the World Championship.
Club Pathway
From your first school puzzle to the world stage, here is how competitors rise through the ranks.
School
Students solve timed KenKen rounds at their own school or club to earn a place in the next stage.
City and State
Qualifiers meet in regional rounds. In India alone, these run across 15 states.
National
Each chapter crowns its national champions, like the UAE's national round at Zayed University in Dubai.
World Championship
National finalists from every chapter meet at the World KenKen Championship for the world title.