Competition Rules

CLICK HERE to visit the gamepuzzles homepage; buy online, play online.

The current competition ('Thasos' Puzzle) ends on 30th June 2012. Please send in your result file via email to brickmaster@bricks-game.de until then. The file name is displayed when the press the "Info"-button in the game.

Deadline for sending in / time handicap system

The best three players/teams of the last competition and all other players with the same number of moves as the first three players/teams get a time handicap. This system is introduced to give worse players a better chance. The time handicap is a number of the following series:

0.024 / 0.031 / 0.047 / 0.063 / 0.094 / 0.125 / 0.188 / 0.250 / 0.375 / 0.500 / 0.750 / 1.000

All players start with 1.000. A player who reaches rank 1, 2 or 3 gets a new time factor, which is half of the old (e.g. 1.000 -> 0.500). A player whose time factor is less than 1.000 and who did not reach rank 1, 2 or 3 gets also a new time factor. This new factor is the number to the right of the old factor in the series (e.g. 0.500 -> 0.750). In addition the time is devided by the number of team members. The handicap factor of a team is the team's best member's factor. The deadline for each player/team is calculated with the following formula and rounded to full days:

time = (handicap factor of the best team member) / (number of members) * (full time)

The 'full time' for the current competition is 60 days (2 months).

Examples:

Single player with a handicap of 0.500: time = 0.500 / 1 * 60 days = 30 days

Team with two players, player 1 with a handicap of 0.375, player 2 with a handicap of 1.000: time = 0.375 / 2 * 60 days = 12 days

Team with three players, all players with a handicap of 1.000: time = 1.000 / 3 * 60 days = 20 days

Current player handicap factors:

Sampsa Lahtonen

: 0.031
Juan Ignacio Fernandez

: 0.047
Eckhard Rauch

: 0.094
Henru Wang

: 0.250
Johan de Koning

: 0.250
Gerd Maier

: 0.375
Ahmad Azmy

: 0.500
Paul Byrne

: 0.500
Sven Bråmå

: 0.500
Alejandro Castagnolo

: 0.500
Peter Riszter

: 0.750
all other players: 1.000

Deadlines:
0.024 -> 02.05.12 (1 d)
0.031 -> 03.05.12 (2 d)
0.047 -> 04.05.12 (3 d)
0.063 -> 05.05.12 (4 d)
0.094 -> 07.05.12 (6 d)
0.125 -> 09.05.12 (8 d)
0.188 -> 12.05.12 (11 d)
0.250 -> 16.05.12 (15 d)
0.375 -> 24.05.12 (23 d)
0.500 -> 31.05.12 (30 d)
0.750 -> 15.06.12 (45 d)
1.000 -> 30.06.12 (60 d)

Please ask me if you are in doubt of your deadline. Late entries will be ignored for the ranking.

This Java applet shows the relevant time for the deadline (local time in Germany). If you can't see the clock you need to enable Java. Important: the time/date on your computer (local time) must be correct - otherwise the clock above shows the wrong time. (US east coast should be -6 hours / west coast -9 hours)

Further rules

Everyone who solves this puzzle will be added to the Hall of Fame.

The winners (solutions with the fewest moves) will be announced in July 2012 and the best solutions will be posted after that. If more than one player finds the best solution, the solution with fewer steps wins. If there is still a tie the player which sent in first will win.

The current leader of the competition and her/his number of moves will be posted here. During the last two weeks the leader page will not be updated to keep up the suspense.

Teamwork is as well allowed as individual solutions. Please state all members of your team when sending in your file. Players may not team up or split during the competition. If a player has already sent in an individual solution (s)he may not team up. Sharing solutions with other players/teams or posting solutions on the internet is not allowed and might lead to disqualification. Updating solutions (sending an improved solution) is possible.