Challenge Your Mind with Gerrymandering Logic Puzzles Today

A series of engaging gerrymandering logic puzzles has been released, inviting participants to test their skills in electoral mapping. Earlier today, three distinct puzzles were presented, challenging solvers to determine how the minority colour can secure the most regions in a grid format. Each puzzle is designed to highlight the intricacies of gerrymandering, a practice often scrutinized in political contexts.

The puzzles, conceptualized by Brady Forrest, also known as Deckard, require players to identify the unique electoral configurations in which the minority colour wins the majority of regions. A region is defined as a contiguous block of cells linked either horizontally or vertically, with no diagonal connections permitted. Winning a region entails having the highest number of cells in that area.

Puzzle 1 is categorized as easy, tasking players to divide a grid into five regions of five cells each. The goal is for purple, representing the minority colour, to dominate the majority of these regions. The second puzzle, labelled as medium difficulty, expands the challenge to five regions of ten cells each, with the same goal for the minority colour. Importantly, no ties are allowed in any region. The final puzzle, deemed hard, requires the division of the grid into seven regions of seven cells each, with blue as the minority colour. Again, ties are prohibited for the top position in each region.

For those wishing to engage with these puzzles, solutions are made available at the end of the article. Additionally, participants can print the puzzles or access interactive versions online. Those interested in exploring the mathematical concepts behind the puzzles can refer to a YouTube clip featuring Brady Forrest, who explains the problem-solving techniques involved.

In addition to the puzzles, Forrest has also released a new book titled Football School Facts, co-authored with Ben Lyttleton. This book contains intriguing trivia, including a fact about Gerry Taggart, a former Premier League player who is one of only four to have been sent off on their birthday. The book is designed for readers aged seven to 107 and is available for purchase at the Guardian Bookshop.

For enthusiasts of logic puzzles and football trivia alike, this is an excellent opportunity to engage with both intellectual and recreational activities. As a reminder, puzzle enthusiasts are encouraged to share their own puzzle ideas via email to contribute to future challenges.