GameKnot: GameKnot related, Puzzle Contest

GameKnot related: Puzzle Contest

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tugger
31-Jan-09, 04:47

I don't think it should be only be won by someone who has solved them all. This immediately discriminates against those who play from work and have no computer at home. If they are on a 5 day week, then they will not even see 2 a week, let alone solve them, will they? And then what about the below-average players who still try every day? If they solve 8 during the month, then of course they should be given a chance to win the prize, too. If only someone who has solved them all were allowed to win, you would notice a dramatic fall in interest with every day that passed. And then the prize would go to the select few who are either very good or have good problem solving software on their computer. That would be a great competition, huh?

I'm going to Dublin next week for my birthday, I'll miss a few of the puzzles. I won't be getting 100% in Feb, that's for sure. I really don't think it's fair to take away all the puzzles someone does solve throughout the month because they failed one, or was in Dublin, or wasn't at work, or had flu, or there was an earthquake etc etc...

But then I don't solve the problems to win a prize. I solve the problems because I love solving chess puzzles, and maybe, just maybe, one day I might get an iPod for my trouble.

Good luck to everyone for this month...

baronderkilt
31-Jan-09, 05:17

chessnovice, pixie_poodle, heinzkat . . .

Thanks for the info about the puzzle timing.
With that being the case tho, I'm sure I'll not have a month with all of them solved; so am happy to see that it is not a requirement. Tugger makes good points on that too.

chessnovice
01-Feb-09, 12:43

...

Congratulations to mixyezspitlik for winning the camera. :]

I had a 31/31 month for January. Still keeping my streak alive. If only this were a leap year, I'd have one more entry this month...

The camcorder looks nice. I can't recall if GK has offered one before, but my recollection is that this is a first.

I like that GK is trying to see us halfway between the people envious of winners without a perfect month, and the people who are hungry for stats. I wonder if about double the daily attempts is normal for the participation pool for these contests. I guess this means that if we keep getting about 50,000 entries, I should be bound to win something within the next 138 years...

skipwallace555
01-Feb-09, 19:31

I have an idea......

shouldn't you at least be a paying member to win a prize here? I'm just talkin here! I'm just sayin!

kingdawar
01-Feb-09, 22:51

Deleted by kingdawar on 01-Feb-09, 23:33.

caro-kann
02-Feb-09, 01:37

I got 30/31, because I forgot to do the contest puzzle one day

Still, I'm happy with my personal best, and will aim for a perfect month, but I think that it will be difficult with my studies in progress. Congratulations to mixyezspitlik for last month!

Chessnovice, I seem to recall in previous prizes, a Pentax camera, an iPod, a Garmin GPS Navigator (with maps of USA and Europe, useless since I live in Australia), and I think the first one was a Sony 8MP camera, but I'm not too sure on that one.

pgroenborg
02-Feb-09, 02:11

Congrats on winning!

Well I do not solve all of them every month, no such luck, I do think however that I really, really deserved that camera

skipwallace555
05-Feb-09, 14:51

Very Cool

puzzle today, 2/5/09.

kingdawar
18-Feb-09, 03:21

Today's...

contest puzzle was only solved by 2 % when it was featured as the "daily puzzle".

tugger
18-Feb-09, 07:30

It is a tough one, but logical. I suspect there will be more than a 2% solve rate, simply because I try harder for the puzzle contest, I have more patience. I can't be the only one.

chessnovice
18-Feb-09, 07:54

...

I couldn't solve it when it was a daily puzzle, but I was able to figure it out today. Tugger's right, I tend to try to go on instinct with daily puzzles, but I make sure I have it right with the contest puzzles.

chessnovice
19-Feb-09, 00:04

24%

I guess this means we work 10x as hard when there's a camera on the line.

kingdawar
19-Feb-09, 00:52

After the puzzle had been featured as the "daily puzzle", about 1,500 people have seen its solution. Only 30 managed to do it on their own though )

baronderkilt
19-Feb-09, 19:56

PUZZLE #606 of CONTEST DAY Feb.18,2009 . . .

Heinzkat 's puzzle (#606) by W.A. Shrinkman, as the Contest Puzzle for Feb. 18 brings up some questions, particularly interesting to me; so I have started a separate thread of its own to discuss it further. (Thinking that this thread will have all it can handle to just deal with the puzzle contest in general; and that the matter of #606 will generate more interest in discussing itself, by being announced as a Forum Topic, and so . . . )

kingdawar
28-Feb-09, 01:15

End of the month

22/28...

chessnovice
28-Feb-09, 05:37

...

28/28.

Did you take a week long vacation, hk?

kingdawar
28-Feb-09, 05:37

22/28 were placed by me. I have had a very difficult time solving them ...

chessnovice
28-Feb-09, 05:54

...

I guess the contest has a different twist for you. :]

caro-kann
28-Feb-09, 22:14

28/28 for me, but still I don't think I'll get it.

chessnovice
01-Mar-09, 00:06

VideoFrame is the prize of the month for March.

I saw this thing for the first time not too long ago in someone's home. I thought it was a neat little toy.

chessnovice
01-Mar-09, 00:10

And congratulations to peg63 for winning the video camera. :]

notbadplayer
13-Mar-09, 11:01

Puzzle Contest

The best one of March's puzzles was of 12's... (as it seems to me)

chessnovice
13-Mar-09, 11:08

It's the lowest number of people who solved a single puzzle since November 28 (393). It's the lowest percentage since this contest began. It was definitely tough in its simplicity.

kingdawar
13-Mar-09, 11:15

Lowest number

...and that while it has been featured as the frontpage puzzle as well, on 9 December.

caro-kann
21-Mar-09, 17:13

really seems to have cranked up the difficulty this month! I couldn't get the 18% one or the 34% one, but managed to get yesterday's (25%). Anyway, I think working 10 times as hard for the contest is quite a bargain, as the prize in monetary terms is infinitely better!

I honestly can't wait for the end of the month, generally the very last puzzle isn't very hard. Maybe GK just got tired of us posting high scores in the forum? The puzzles are still quite good, but my brain hurts from me bashing my head against whatever I could find, from frustration at my solving capabilities.

Hoping everyone's well-being is faring better than mine,

caro-kann

chessnovice
25-Mar-09, 08:47

...

Another tough one yesterday. Close call for me, because I wasn't able to identify Qf1 as a mate right away.

chessnovice
01-Apr-09, 00:09

Looks like they went with heinzkat's suggestion to have a more chess-based prize.

baronderkilt
01-Apr-09, 00:44

ok Everybody ...

kindly step aside this month so I have a chance, cuz I REALLY want that wooden Chess set.

Wooden sets have a sort of life of their own you know. And I've been on this Oddessey just to keep one.
The last one, a Lardy, I won it as a tournament prize. And it became my Official Undefeated Tournament Set ... until of course, "It" got defeated .
So I loaned it out. And what is the first thing she did? Yeah, you guessed it ...she WASHED IT~! All those years of cigar smoke , coffee stains and fingerprints from all the great local players GONE, just like that.
Well with all the historic value gone, I gave it to someone as a parting gift. (Known only to me as "The Undefeated by Her Set, at this point Finally years later it is willed to me, and returns home.
But alas, minus that Proverbial Missing White Pawn ... it must be proverbial ...I now have at least 10 sets missing a White pawn. So I begin the Quest for an ALL NEW IMPROVED-NEVER-DEFEATED-Wooden-Chess-Set~!
* * * * * * * * *
Don't get in my way }B-( . . . LOL

kingdawar
01-Apr-09, 10:50

Yes the prize for this month is looking like some real eyecandy. The good news is that you can buy the Staunton chess set yourself for a meager $100 if you happen not to win it!!

And congratulations to davedew!

markb56
10-Apr-09, 12:41

4/10 puzzle

I thought April Fool's Day was 9 days ago!? The 4/10 puzzle sure had me fooled for about 5 minutes.

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