Akari
Japanese Logic Puzzles #4
Mcreaser is a big fan of geocaching. He's also a fan of
Japanese-style logic puzzles, and so, he thought, why not put them
together?
Everyone knows about the archetypal Japanese logic puzzle,
Sudoku. Less well known, but equally rewarding, are some of the
other puzzles made popular in Japan, particularly in the puzzle
magazine, Nikoli. To find this cache, you must solve the
following moderately difficult Akari puzzle.
Like all such puzzles, there is software available to
automatically solve Akari. Please do not use a computer
program to solve this puzzle. The goal of this series is
to introduce geocachers to other logic challenges, and using
computer software defeats that purpose. The above puzzle is not
overly difficult and can be solved inside of 15 minutes once you've
learned the rules.
There is a short tutorial on solving Akari puzzles at
Nikoli.
Mcreaser's advice is to use a pen to mark the bulbs and dots, and a
highlighter to mark the lit rooms.
Once you have completed the puzzle, you may find the coordinates
using the following formula. Consider the rows and columns to
number from 1 - 14, starting in the upper-left corner.
N 44 38.ABC W 63 43.DEF
- A = (# of bulbs in row 1)
- B = (# of bulbs in row 1) + (# of bulbs in row 14)
- C = (# of bulbs in column 2) x (# of bulbs in column 4)
- D = (# of bulbs in row 9) - (# of bulbs in row 10)
- E = (# of bulbs in column 7) x (# of bulbs in column 14)
- F = (# of columns with 0 bulbs)
The cache is a small camoed container (suitable for small trade
items). It is winter friendly except in deep drifts and should be
an easy find once the coordinates are in hand. Please close the lid
tightly and replace the cache exactly as found.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on
Geochecker.com.