Puzzles:
Solving and Writing Tips
ΣUMS talk - 5/4/12
Sean Gardiner
Introduction
• Puzzles are presented as a bunch of words
and/or pictures, and little else
• The goal is always to extract a word or phrase
– Done by searching for patterns and identifying
and utilising themes (cf. solving maths problems)
• The crux is the intuitive leap(s)
– Always motivatable, but rarely obvious
• Different categories (based on appearance)
Word Puzzles
• Words can have multiple properties:
– Meaning (double meaning, “cryptic” definitions)
– Letter/constituent properties (too many to list!)
– Sound (rhymes, phonetics, ...)
• Varied forms of presentation:
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List
Hidden (e.g. in a paragraph/poem)
Codes (Caesar cypher, Morse, Braille, alphanumeric...)
Clues (straight, cryptic)
Solving Word Puzzles
• Huge range of word puzzle mechanics
• Expect puzzles to use at least two properties
• Always look for patterns (in letters/meanings)
• Numbers => convert or index (usually)
Recapitulation – Corey Plover (MUMS 2010)
Recapitulation – Corey Plover (MUMS 2010)
Wockyjabber – Sean Gardiner (ΣUMS 2010)
Headless Snake – Steven Irrgang (CiSRA 2009)
Kangaroo Jack – Corey Plover (MUMS 2011)
Picture Puzzles
• Pure picture puzzles rely only on image
interpretation
• Usually employ different perspectives as a
mechanic
• Sometimes drawing/adding to the picture is
required
Solving Picture Puzzles
• Be artistic! – Think visually (or know someone
who can)
• While puzzle type can vary wildly, the answer
extraction (last step) is very restricted:
– Find/construct letters that spell out the answer
– Find/construct an easily and uniquely-identifiable
image or set of images (more likely)
Smilies – Andrew Shellshear (CiSRA 2008)
Smilies – Andrew Shellshear (CiSRA 2008)
Concyclicity – Ivan Guo (ΣUMS 2009)
Concyclicity – Ivan Guo (ΣUMS 2009)
Meet Your Match – Andrew Coker (CiSRA 2009)
Logic Puzzles
• “Logic” puzzles are self-contained and often
original ideas:
– Follow a series of steps (usually disguised)
– Identify/determine a rule set
– Reinterpretations (e.g. board games)
• All puzzle types overlap with this one in one
way or another
Solving Logic Puzzles
• An inherent property of logic puzzles is that
everything needed to solve one is already on
the page in some capacity (and usually there’s
only just enough information)
– In some cases new rules/steps might be implied
from old ones (mechanic repetition is common)
• Using deduction can often prove just as useful
as induction
Art – Andrew Shellshear (CiSRA 2010)
The Drover – Sam Chow & Stephen Muirhead
(MUMS 2011)
Characterisation – Sean Gardiner (ΣUMS 2010)
Latin Pipes – David McLeish (CiSRA 2010)
Latin Pipes – David McLeish (CiSRA 2010)
Construction Puzzles
• Basically a mix of picture and logic types
• Involve cutting/folding/pasting
– The construction rules are usually made clear
• Most basic construction ideas have already
been exhausted
Solving Construction Puzzles
• First step: Always cut everything out!
• Expect the construction step to be relevant to
the overall puzzle:
– If cutting is involved, there ought be a reason the
pieces were originally separated
– If folding is involved, you’ll want to use the 3D
property at some point
Shapeshifter – Duncan Sutherland & Sean
Gardiner (ΣUMS 2011)
Shapeshifter – Duncan Sutherland & Sean
Gardiner (ΣUMS 2011)
Shapeshifter – Duncan Sutherland & Sean
Gardiner (ΣUMS 2011)
Continuity – David Morgan-Mar (CiSRA 2007)
Duplex – Ivan Guo (ΣUMS 2010)
Research Puzzles
• These tend to contain very specific
descriptions/jargon/pictures/themes:
– Rarely solvable without doing some research
• Can involve retrieving facts/stats, recognising
pictures/music, etc.
Solving Research Puzzles
• Research!
– Wikipedia/Google/specialist websites
– Ask around – the topic might be someone’s field
of expertise
• Try to identify the puzzle’s theme as early as
possible, as this will greatly help narrow down
the research
Super Effective – Scott Mooney (ΣUMS 2010)
Kingfisher – Sam Chow (MUMS 2008)
Identikit – Andrew Shellshear (CiSRA 2010)
Identikit – Andrew Shellshear (CiSRA 2010)
General Solving Tips
• Practise! – Lots of puzzles in archives
• Work with friends – Multiple perspectives
• Pay close attention to hints – Sometimes there’s
more to a hint than its surface meaning
• Don’t be afraid to guess
• Keep a checklist of what elements of the puzzle
you have/haven’t used yet (not foolproof)
• Try to think from the writer’s perspective
The ΣUMS Commandments
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Minimal extraneous information
Minimal ambiguities (in clues, answers, etc.)
No specialist knowledge required
No repeated mechanics (i.e. from other puzzles)
All steps should be motivatable
Hints should ideally be written such that they
help solvers stuck at any step
• Meta should require majority of puzzles solved
More ΣUMS Commandments
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Puzzles solvable without using title/story
Everything needed is contained in the PDF (static)
Minimise number of research/casebash puzzles
Meta: disallow backsolving and involve story
Range of puzzle types and difficulties
Thematic mechanics/presentation/title/answer
Enjoyable intuitive leap – if solving the puzzle
wasn’t fun, we’ve failed
Bad Example: Disc – Julian Assange (MUMS 2004)
Bad Example: Disc – Julian Assange (MUMS 2004)
Writing Puzzles
• Start with an idea/theme and build the puzzle
naturally around it
• Test every iteration with new people
• Write good hints (difficult!)
• Be aware of the other puzzles
– Is your mechanic or theme too similar to another?
– Does the Meta enforce any requirements?
Example: Porcus – Sean Gardiner (ΣUMS 2010)
• Idea: Pig Latin pairs (e.g. wrecks  X-ray)
• Theme: Pigs!
• Expand: Pigpen cypher –
• Restrictions:
– Not many Pig Latin pairs
– Can only use letters A-R to avoid cheating
– Want the answer to be pig-related
Example: Porcus – Sean Gardiner (ΣUMS 2010)
Example: Porcus – Sean Gardiner (ΣUMS 2010)
• Refinement:
– Adjusted some of the clues to be fairer
– Removed the alphabetic ordering restriction to
include a better hint
– Changed black/white to pink/green (to avoid
people trying to mix colours – minimise confusion)
– Changed rocks to “biscuits” (more thematic)
Example: Porcus – Sean Gardiner (ΣUMS 2010)
References
• CiSRA Puzzle Competition:
– http://puzzle.cisra.com.au/
• MUMS Puzzle Hunt:
– http://www.ms.unimelb.edu.au/~mums/puzzlehunt/
• ΣUMS Puzzle Hunt:
– http://www.maths.usyd.edu.au/u/sums/puzzlehunt