Event Details
Overview Day 1 Day 2 Puzzles equipment Scoring
Registration FAQ Ingredients

Puzzles

Once you learn the secret ingredients, your team will be responsible for making two puzzles and getting them to the event site within 24 hours. Almost anything goes, but there are a few basic rules to follow:

  1. Each puzzle must ultimately solve to a single, common English language word.

  2. One puzzle must be a paper-only puzzle. Paper-only means that the puzzle can fit on a single sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper, and could be reproduced using a photocopier. The use of color is allowed. If you use both sides of the paper, do not count on the two sides being precisely aligned. You must print out enough copies of this puzzle for every other team, and also provide a PDF of your puzzle so that it can be shared electronically.

  3. One puzzle must be an "Other" puzzle. An "Other" puzzle is any puzzle that does not fit the description of a paper-only puzzle. Creating a puzzle that is simply on two sheets of paper is the easiest, if perhaps least interesting way of meeting this definition.

  4. Each of your puzzles must contain at least one of the secret ingredients, and you must use a total of at least two different ingredients. You may integrate the ingredients either formally or functionally, superficially or tightly knit into the fabric of the puzzle.

  5. It must be possible for all teams to solve your “Other” puzzle simultaneously. If it is possible for all teams to solve one copy simultaneously without interfering with each other, that is acceptable. If you determine that multiple copies are necessary, again, you must bring one copy for every team. If your puzzle needs to be “installed” on site, you must contact GC in advance to get approval. Given that the other puzzles are often more time consuming, an additional one for GC is requested but not required.

  6. Each puzzle must have an assigned number on it. Prior to the event we will assign your team two puzzle numbers. Make sure that the appropriate number is clearly marked on all copies of your puzzles. Do not indicate authorship on the puzzles, as that should remain secret until after the scores have been tallied.

  7. You must prepare a document giving the solution to your puzzle and provide this as a PDF, in addition to bringing the appropriate number of printed copies for the other teams. At the end of the event, we will pass out the solution to each puzzle before teams decide how to score them, so that teams that weren't able to solve your puzzle will still know how elegant it was. As with the puzzles, identify your answers with puzzle numbers, but do not indicate authorship in your solution. Make sure your solutions are on two different pages.

When crafting your puzzles, you can expect teams to have all the solving equipment and knowledge on the Equipment List. You should not create puzzles that require additional equipment or supplies and in particular should not create puzzles that require significant internet access as some teams may have limited or no internet access. Teams will not be allowed to use solving programs.