An Obsessive Journey

On my 24th birthday my flatmate gave me a puzzle. It wasn't just any puzzle, it was 'One Tough Puzzle', both in name and in practise. At first glance, the notion that there are 300,000 ways not to solve this puzzle and only one way to complete it, seems rather excessive. There are after all, only nine pieces. Yet, after a few tries, I started to realise just how tough this puzzle really was, and I found myself on a quest to solve it.

I have created this blog, by way of documenting my mistakes and formulating a strategy. I am, though, scared at every moment that someone might come along, ask to have a go and solve it instantly. Something tells me there cannot be a method, and only pure dumb luck in solving this bastard.

Saturday, 24 July 2010



Now, I have to admit, I haven't started documenting this at the absolute beginning. I have already drunk and sober attempted this puzzle. My flatmate has too. However, I am beginning now to look for patterns.

I have chosen to look exclusively at the clubs, there are three outer and five inner clubs. That means that in all eventualities there can never be any clubs sticking out. If I can learn this type of fact about each shape, I may be on to something.

EDIT: Just as I posted this, I doubled checked to see if I had properly checked the number of clubs, and alas I had not! There are in fact four outer clubs, not three, meaning only ONE inward club will be on the outside of the square. This is not going to be so simple, I'm sure...



EDIT AGAIN!! OH MY GOD! I am wrong again, on closer inspection there are SIX inner and only THREE outer. I can't even get to grips with counting.



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