FPSAC Puzzle Hunt

To FPSAC participants:
• If you played Chapter 1, please fill the feedback form. This will give me some valuable insights about the reception of this game.
• If you haven’t played yet, just ask me for the password. You can play individually, but I recommend playing with a team, it’s more fun ;).

Solving Fun has created and organized an online Puzzle Hunt in July 2020 for the participants of the international math conference Formal Power Series and Algebraic Combinatorics (FPSAC 2020 online):

F_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Puzzle
Solving for
Amateurs and
Connoisseurs

If you want to know the full name of the puzzle hunt, here’s a warm-up puzzle to solve:
(hints in this Facebook post)

The puzzles have been created specifically for the event, and include references to the conference FPSAC, to algebraic combinatorics, and to math in general. The game started off during the Welcome Receptions on Sunday, July 5th 2020 (see details on the dedicated FPSAC webpage), where participants were split into small teams (in breakout rooms), so that each team could work on the puzzles independently. The game is also playable on this website after the conference.

Click on the navigation menu above to access the specific pages. See below for information about the content of these pages:

  • Rules and some tips to solve puzzles and to collaborate remotely.
  • Chapter 1 (password-protected): the password has been given to FPSAC participants (if you are a FPSAC participant and have not played yet, just email me to request the password).
  • Chapter 2 (password-protected): Chapter 2 is now ready 🙂 At the end of the Google Form corresponding to Chapter 1 metapuzzle, you obtain the password for the webpage of Chapter 2. (if you are a FPSAC participants and for some reason you would like to play Chapter 2 without having played Chapter 1, just email me to request the password).
  • Epilogue: end of the story and a final puzzle. The password is the answer of the final puzzle in Chapter 2.
  • Hints for Chapter 1.
  • Hints for Chapter 2 (will be released on Friday, July 24th).
  • Credits and acknowledgements.
  • Leaderboard with solving times for each team and each puzzle.