PRAGUE, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's Wang Shiyao set a new world record in Sudoku on Wednesday when she managed to solve a 9x9 sudoku grid in 54.44 seconds at the World Sudoku & Puzzle Championship held in Prague.

The win was confirmed by championship director Jan Zverina.

Czech Jakub Ondrousek was the former world record holder. He set the world record by solving the sudoku grid in 1 minute and 25 seconds in 2010. According to the organisers of the championship, the results have markedly improved in the last eight years. The best players in online competitions are able to solve the grid in less than 40 seconds.

The first World Puzzle Championship took place in New York in 1992. Since 2006, Sudoku World Championships have been held annually.

The Prague championship started on November 4 and will last until November 11.