Alpha Sleuth® Solving Ladder Rules
The Rules:
Each Solving Ladder 'leg' will run for a period of 3 months, year-round:
- January-March
- April-June
- July-September
- October-December
Solving Contest participants earn Ladder points by
submitting the correct answer during the contest period, which runs
3pmET Sunday to 3pmET Saturday.
07/04/2009: Note our new scoring system, effective July 5th, 2009!
- 1st place = 50 points ("Alpha")
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2nd place = 46 points ("Beta")
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3rd place = 43 points
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4th place = 40 points
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5th place = 38 points
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6th place = 36 points
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7th place = 34 points
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8th place = 33 points
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9th place = 32 points
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10th place = 31 points
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all others within the first 24 hours = 30 points
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all others after the first 24 hours = 20 points
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those requiring hint(s), by email = 10 points
-
"cooks" (*) earn a 10 point bonus
(*) Beginning 4/6/2008, "cooks" must meet our new & much stricter
requirements
07/04/2009: Bonus Puzzle rules:
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On the last Sunday of each solving "leg", we will post our regular puzzle AND provide a link to a Bonus Puzzle
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Solvers must solve the regular weekly puzzle first
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The Bonus Puzzle will earn the same points as the regular puzzle (1st=50 pts, 2nd=46 pts, etc.)
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No hints will be provided for the Bonus Puzzle
Determining "Alpha", "Beta", 3rd Place, etc. Each Week:
We use our email PC/server "Received" time-stamp as the official time. This eliminates discrepancies between sending PC/server times, which is the fairest method possible. However, email can cause delays on an individual basis. If you have concerns about receipt-times, please request a confirmation with your email.
After each
Solving Ladder period is complete, the Ladder "Alpha" and "Beta" (1st & 2nd place) will be posted on our home page.
Their names will also be permanently posted on our
Contest Winners page.
Earning Solving Titles & Free Puzzle Books:
Solving titles will be awarded based on the number of puzzles solved (or "puzzle credits"):
-
Expert Sleuth = 25 puzzle credits
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Master Sleuth = 50 puzzle credits
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GrandMaster Sleuth = 100 puzzle credits
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Super Sleuth = 200 puzzle credits
Effective November 18th, 2008: Those who reach Master Sleuth receive a personal copy of Alpha Sleuth® Volume 2 Database -- a collection of 150 puzzles! This requires use of our free Solving Tool and a Windows operating system.
Earning Bonus Puzzle Credits:
