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2005 Google U.S. Puzzle Championship

Posted by Zonk on from the riddle-me-this-slashdot dept.

Fortran IV writes "Registration is open for the 2005 Google U.S. Puzzle Championship, Saturday, June 18. Two winners will join Team USA at the 2005 World Puzzle Championship in Eger, Hungary (tourist info here if you read Hungarian). If you're the type who plays 12 simultaneous chess games in your head while debugging code and memorizing logarithm tables, you might have a chance of teaming up with last year's champ Roger Barkan (previous Slashdot coverage). If you just like puzzles, register here for the most intense (and fastest) 2-1/2 hours of the year. For a faint shadow of the real thing, take the practice test, which Barkan can probably complete in about 8 minutes; for a true challenge, the complete 2004 test is still available."

12 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. I obviously could never compete. by CrazyJim1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I can't even figure out how to start the test. It reminds me of the joke where you paint on an index card on both sides,"How do you confuse a moron? Flip card."

    Password:

    The test is a PDF/Acrobat 5 file. You must have at least the Adobe Acrobat 4 reader (v5.1 not recommended). Download the latest Acrobat Reader here.

    2. Read Preview Instructions Run Acrobat and decrypt the Preview Instructions file using the password shown above. You should print and read the Preview Instructions well in advance

    --
    God spoke to me.
    1. Re:I obviously could never compete. by 0x461FAB0BD7D2 · · Score: 4, Informative

      The password for the practice test is kronos.

      There's a link to the password below.

  2. I took the practice test by MoreDruid · · Score: 4, Funny

    and the answer was 42

    --
    The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon of a democracy should be the weapon of openness.
  3. Anyone call up Kim Peek? by Delilah+Jones · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They should invite Kim Peek. You know, the guy who inspired the movie "Rain Man."

    http://users.lk.net/~stepanov/mnemo/kimpeeke.html

    Or are idiot savants barred from such competitions?

    --
    http://augustwestproducts.i8.com
  4. whew, those are some tough puzzles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    To download the files to disk:
    On PC's - Right click on the link and save file to disk

    I stopped here. How about you guys?

  5. To the surprise of nobody... by Create+an+Account · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... I am an MBA student (honor student, at that) and I could not get close to any of these questions. I mean, it wasn't even approximately in my reach. F*ck.

    1. Re:To the surprise of nobody... by ameoba · · Score: 4, Funny

      You're an MBA - most of us around here are suprised if you can read and write let alone click a mouse and download the test.

      --
      my sig's at the bottom of the page.
  6. Solved! by Che+Guevarra · · Score: 3, Funny

    No, just kidding. I got stuck on the practice puzzle when it asked for a password. I have my cluster working on that though.

  7. Re:Finished (with all correct)... by zerbot · · Score: 3, Informative

    Scissors are on the allowed materials list.

  8. Re:Google goes fishing... by finnw · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Outside help of any kind is not permitted. This means: no assistance of any kind from any other person; also no books, calculators, computers, or tools other than items explicitly permitted. You are allowed to use writing implements, erasers, paper, and any items explicitly required to solve a specific problem. (All such items are listed on the Hints and Tips page.)


    Maybe this means they are not trying to find people who can come up with algorithmic solutions.
    Or maybe they are but they don't want fast coding ability to be a factor.
    --
    Is Betteridge's Law of Headlines Correct?
  9. Re:Finished (with all correct)... by Fortran+IV · · Score: 3, Informative
    I have no idea how the champions can churn through 25 of these in two and a half hours--that's one every six minutes. Yikes!

    I competed myself last year; I submitted 8 correct answers and no wrong ones, finishing well out of the top 50%; I eventually solved 18 of the 25 puzzles, but only over the course of several days.

    I believe that the people who solve these in 2-1/2 hours are doing nearly all the work in their heads, whether it's a rolling block puzzle or a crossword, then simply scribbling down the entire solution at once. A fantastic memory--swift, accurate, and strongly visual--is a definite advantage in this competition (an advantage I don't have).

    More than a little mathematical background isn't unhelpful either. For one puzzle I did solve last year, #19 "Point Pairs", it's helpful to know more Pythagorean triplets than 3,4,5. I did it rather quickly (that is, in under an hour) but it was one of the 5 least solved puzzles last year.

    What little advice I can offer:

    • Have lots of sharpened pencils, scratch paper, and a good eraser waiting.
    • Go to the bathroom just before time for the test.
    • Print more than one copy of the test.
    • Don't wait for the last page to print before you start working on the first page.
    • If you're married or involved, get your SO to take the kids to the zoo for the afternoon, so you have peace and quiet to work. For the rest of you, lock the basement door and tell your parents not to knock for the next 2-1/2 hours.
    --
    I figure by 2030 or so my 6-digit UID will be something to brag about.
  10. Visual bias by dyscant · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Educators and psychologists often categorize people by the method of learning/analyzing that is most effective for each person. [visual, kinesthetic, and aural are the three common options] And unlike the vast majority of people, visual cues are not my primary method. In fact, visual reasoning is dead last for me. A few examples: word searches are incredibly challenging for me, if I drop anything in tall grass I have a difficult time finding it, I'm terrible at visually estimating volume, etc.

    However, in most regards I would be considered to have above-average intelligence. Fantastic memory, strong lateral thinking, keen reasoning, etc. So I am continually aware that puzzles, IQ tests, and brain teasers always have a strong visual bias. Perhaps it is just a matter of convenience that visual puzzles are easier to represent on paper. But I wish that puzzles like this could incorporate more aural, kinesthetic, or narrative reasoning skills.