The Puzzler Puzzle Hunt
| The Puzzler Puzzle Hunt | |
|---|---|
 Cover of The Puzzler | |
| No. of Registered Teams | at least 1348 individuals |
| Winning Team | Benji Nguyen |
| No. of Rounds | 1 |
| No. of Puzzles (Feeders and Metas) | 27 (plus 1 initial puzzle) |
| Timeframe and Location | |
| Location | Online |
| Start Time | 12:01PM ET, May 3, 2022 |
| Finishing Time (Winning Team) | 1:02PM ET, June 4, 2022[1][2] |
| Links | |
| Hunt Link | Link |
The Puzzler Puzzle Hunt was a puzzle hunt that ran starting on May 3, 2022, culminating with the release of several metas on June 4, 2022. Designed by a team of veteran puzzlers, the hunt was accompanied by the release of the book The Puzzler, written by author A.J. Jacobs. There was additionally a cash prize of $10,000 for the first individual to solve the metas, which was won by Benji Nguyen. In a post-hunt interview Benji additionally mentioned Alex, Anderson, Bryan, Cameron, Clue, Eggy, Jenna, Patrick, and Sushi as additional teammates who helped contribute to the victory.
Structure[edit | edit source]
The hunt had several unconventional structural features. In order to register for the hunt and therefore be able to view and submit the puzzles, hunters had to solve an initial puzzle that involved reading the introduction of the accompanying book. (An excerpt of the book containing the introduction was freely given out.) Hunters nominally had individual accounts, though collaboration was permitted and encouraged. Feeder puzzles were released on weekdays at 12:01 PM Eastern time over the span of about five weeks, with the last feeder puzzle released on June 1. Metas were released on June 4, for all accounts which had solved all twenty-two previous feeder puzzles, one at a time. Solutions to each puzzle were posted shortly after the prize had been claimed.
Theme[edit | edit source]
Puzzles had associated figures in puzzling and adjacent fields, which influenced the thematic design of the puzzles but generally were not necessary to solve the puzzle. Some puzzles had a group of people associated. Additionally, a blurb gave a short synopsis of what they did.
Technical Difficulties[edit | edit source]
There were two instances where puzzle unlocking occurred at a time other than was scheduled. The May 19 feeder Dots was released early, and since it had already been solved by the time it was realized, the decision was made to keep the puzzle up. Additionally, the metas, which were initially scheduled to be released on June 4, 12:01 PM were delayed due to technical difficulties as a result of overwhelming traffic. They were instead released at 12:38 PM.
List of Puzzles[edit | edit source]
Feeder Puzzles[edit | edit source]
- May 3: ONE for FUN
- May 4: Where in the World Is...
- May 5: Hwpdzm
- May 6: A Curious Pairing
- May 9: Pentagon Construction
- May 10: Ents
- May 11: Complementary Colors
- May 12: The Mystery of the Extra Characters
- May 13: Art Gallery
- May 16: Matchups
- May 17: Digital Gaming
- May 18: Black Girl Magic
- May 19: Dots
- May 20: Into the Words
- May 23: Institutional Knowledge
- May 24: Missing Pieces
- May 25: Global Shipping Crisis
- May 26: Mixed Doubles
- May 27: Magic Words
- May 30: La Fête
- May 31: Bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk
- June 1: Resolution
Meta Puzzles[edit | edit source]
Meta puzzles were released on June 4. Solving each meta would unlock the next meta in the list. The set of answers going into each meta was not given, making this a meta-matching round.
