NG 543

New game 543 is now available.


Round 1: O P I N K R A O D

My selection: PONIARD


Round 2: C E U A T N G C S

My selection: CANGUES


Round 3: Target 509 from 50 25 100 8 7 4

I solved this one after time, although I miscounted on my first attempt to be out by 100.  For me, the key insight was that the offset of 9 is also an offset of 84, and 7*(8 + 4) = 84.

My selection: 508 = 4*(100 + 25) + 8  [1 off]
Best: 509 = 7*(50 + 8 + 4) + 100 - 25


Round 4: D E F E O D W N B

As I've observed in the past, the Macquarie does not have DEBONE, so DEBONED does not work here.

My selection: BONDED
Best: ENDOWED


Round 5: A R L G E S P E I

My selection: REALISE
Best: ESPALIER


Round 6: Target 237 from 100 1 8 8 6 4

Another tough numbers round.  I eventually found a solution rather after time by considering 9 as a potential approximating factor.  The target is divisible by 3 (as can be easily seen by the usual trick of adding up the digits), so either it will be divisible by 9 or we can add or subtract 6 to get a multiple of 9.  In this instance we find that 237 is 243 - 6, and 243 is familiar as the fifth power of 3 and thus 9*27.  The 9 is 8 + 1, of course, so the question is whether 27 can be made from 100, 8, and 4.  This is a rather specialised option, but it does work out.  The resulting solution is 237 = ((100 + 8)/4)*(8 + 1) - 6.

My selection: 236 = (8 - 6)*100 + 4*(8 + 1)  [1 off]
Best: 237 = ((100 + 8)/4)*(8 + 1) - 6


Round 7: U E T I E H S R N

My selection: ENTHUSE
Best: RETINUES


Round 8: Target 256 from 25 7 3 4 6 6

My selection: 256 = 6*6*7 + 4


Round 9: POLL LINGO

My selection: LOLLOPING (3.0s)