On my puzzle blog earlier today I invited you play the Nikoli Derby, in which you were asked to submit a number to win a prize. I stated that:
The winner is the person who submits the lowest number that no one else also submits.
Well, there were 2560 submissions and the winning number is:
69
Which was the 774th number submitted.
Here’s a tally of the numbers sumbitted that were between 0 and 69. (No, you weren’t allowed 0, but that didn’t stop you!)
As you can see, 38 of you voted for 1. Turns out that wasn’t a good strategy!
Also, it is fascinating how many people entered 17. It reminds me of articles I have read that claim that when asked to come up with a random number between 0 and 20, most people say 17.
I’m in touch with the person who submitted 69, who wins the £50 Guardian Bookshop voucher.
The Nikoli Derby is a game played by the readers of Japanese puzzle magazine Nikoli. I visited Nikoli in Tokyo researching my latest book, Puzzle Ninja: Pit Your Wits Against The Japanese Puzzle Masters, which is out in October.
Puzzle Ninja contains more than 200 hand-crafted puzzles from Japan as well as profiles of prominent puzzle creators. If you pre-order Puzzle Ninja from the Guardian Bookshop it costs only £9.99 (rrp is £14.99) and you will get a free ninja pencil, as pictured here:
I set a puzzle here every two weeks on a Monday. Send me your email if you want me to alert you each time I post a new one. I’m always on the look-out for great puzzles. If you would like to suggest one, email me.
.png?w=600)
