October 25, 2004
Problem of the Week

The Treasure Hunt
from Games Magazine
September 2004

To reveal the location of a hidden treasure, place the three gems on the map in a way that satisfies these five conditions:

• The red gem is two hexes away from the closest mountain hex.
• The green gem is two hexes away from the closest forest hex.
• The purple gem is two hexes away from the lake hex.
• The three gems are on hexes of different types of terrain.
• There is a hex -- the treasure's location -- that is two spaces away from each gem and that has a type of terrain different from that of any gem's hex.

Give the numbered hex on which each gem resides and give the numbered hex for the treasure.

Solution to the Problem:

The Red Gem is on Hex #1.
The Green Gem is on Hex #4.
The Purple Gem is on Hex #8.
The Treasure is on Hex #3.

Another solution would be the mirror image:
red on 3
green on 6
purple on 8
treasure on 1

Another possible answer is:
red on hex #1,
green on hex #8,
purple on hex #9.
treasure on hex #3.

Correctly solved by:

1. Jason LaRusso	Winchester, Virginia
2. Tyler Windham	Columbus, Georgia
3. Sharina Broughton	Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia
4. Walt Arrison	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
5. Kaveh Malekanian	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
6. Emily Auerbach	Columbus, Georgia
7. Mandy Auerbach	Columbus, Georgia
8. Cameron S.	Columbus, Georgia
9. Jason Storer	Winchester, Virginia
10. Jeffrey Gaither	Winchester, Virginia
11. Thomas Woodward	Columbus, Georgia
12. Mary Helen Calhoun	Columbus, Georgia
13. David & Judy Dixon	Bennettsville, South Carolina
14. Sarah Watterson	Middletown, Connecticut
15. Angelo Leone	Middletown, Connecticut
16. Julie W.	Dallas, Texas
17. Deborah Coats (found two solutions)	Newport News, Virginia
18. Ann Norman	Columbus, Georgia
19. Kevin Jacobson	Columbus, Georgia
20. Jeffrey Kinne	Columbus, Georgia
21. Anders Johansson	Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
22. Daniel Kvist	Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
23. Jonas Sutinen	Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
24. Gustav Nilsson	Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
25. Sanna Lejegren	Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
26. Elin Carlsson	Risbergskaskolan, Örebro, Sweden
27. Jolle Datahacker	----------
28. Erik Hultgren	Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
29. Viktor Logrell (found two solutions)	Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
30. Lisa Sevón	Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
31. Joanna Sturk	Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
32. Joakim Berggren	Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
33. Bahadir Güngör	Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
34. Michael Kempi	University of Örebro, Örebro, Sweden
35. Per Björkil	Tullängsskolan, Örebro, Sweden
36. Misty Carlisle	Winchester, Virginia

Send any comments or questions to: David Pleacher