Have you met this Dubai maths wizard?

A few more sessions with the Ken Ken UAE team encouraged Ramm to keep going and win the international round. "

The Dubai-based Oxford School has every reason to celebrate. Ganesh Ramm from Grade 5 of the school has won the Kenken competition in the US.
Ramm, one among 60 participants at the event, said: "I'm absolutely delighted to have won the Ken Ken International Championship in my category (Delta level). I started playing Kenken puzzles because I find it extremely fun and engaging. At no time did I imagine that I would be the International Champion of Champions in my age group.
"After I qualified for the national level round, I was really excited to make it happen, as I knew that I was good at the puzzles and practiced regularly. My mother made sure I practiced at least five to six puzzles everyday. This paid off when I won the national level round," Ramm said.
A few more sessions with the Ken Ken UAE team encouraged Ramm to keep going and win the international round. "It was an incredible opportunity to represent the UAE in New York and I am so happy to bring honour to my parents and teachers," Ramm added.
"It is fun to play around with numbers as it also enhances your problem solving and reasoning skills," says Ramm.
In praise of Ramm, The Oxford School's principal Aisha Ansari said: "The school introduced the Ken ken Championship last year. Its prime objective was not to find the best puzzler in the UAE but to get students to solve at least a few puzzles everyday, which ultimately helps them improve their basic math skills. "We found this puzzle very interesting for kids. Ken Ken is a powerful tool to build problem-solving aptitude and perseverance skills in kids. I would personally encourage every student to take up these puzzles and participate in the championship."
- sandhya@khaleejtimes.com