Alcazar: 2013

2013-12-12

It's a good day for a new puzzle

Hi everyone! I've been solving a lot of Alcazars today, because I'm preparing a book of 100 puzzles that should be available early next year.

I like when a puzzle takes me by surprise and has exactly the right level of challenge for me. I had a lot of fun solving this one, so I thought I could share it with you.

Have fun!

2013-12-09

To solve an Alcazar, find its weak points

In this article, I reveal what is probably the most useful Alcazar solving technique, using level 4 of the December series as an example. I strongly recommend that you try it before reading. You can visit the website to print it, or try it directly here, by drawing in the image with your mouse.

Although it's not the most difficult Alcazar, it's not an easy one. I have seen good Alcazar players who took more than 30 minutes to solve it. If you are struggling more than you would like, maybe all you need is the following technique.

When you are ready, click here to read the rest of the article

The main rule of Alcazar is: cross every square exactly once. There are normally 6 ways to cross a square, but when a square has a wall, only 3 possibilities are left.

Squares with two walls have only one possibility. It's a good idea to start the puzzle by filling them.

This usually provides a very good start, but in our case, the result is quite disappointing: only 5 squares are filled, and there are still 12 possible exits. Trying to guess the rest of the solution could take a while. Fortunately, every Alcazar has weak points.

Let's focus on the small room in the upper-right corner and ask: what would happen if we would do what is shown here. This would create a small closed loop in the corner. So we can't do that.

This leaves 2 ways to fill that square: going either left-up or left-right. In any case, we have to enter this square on the left, and we can already draw this line.

We can use the same technique another time nearby. We notice that going up and right (shown here under the ?) would create a closed loop again. Discarding this possibility, there are only two ways to cross that square: up-left or right-left. Conclusion: we have to exit this square from the left.

With this new clue, I'm sure you can finish the puzzle by yourself. Have fun! Leave a comment if you need more help, or if you want to share some of your own techniques.

And now that you are an expert, enter the secret code invisible-air on the website, and you will unlock an even more difficult puzzle.

2013-12-03

Solution to the empty square puzzle

In Alcazar, easy puzzles can be solved either with logic, or intuition. But as puzzles get larger and harder, intuition alone will not be enough. That's why it's good to start sharpening your logic skills with small puzzles, like the one I proposed in my last post.

There are several ways to solve this puzzle step by step. Here is one method I like, because it contains several different tricks and techniques.

First, there is only one way to enter and exit each of the corners, so it's a good idea to start by filling these 4 squares.

Then, notice that there are only 2 exits in this problem. We need to use them both, otherwise we won't be able to enter and exit the room.

At this stage, the two squares near the exits are complete, which leaves only one possibility for the 2 squares on top of them.

Now, we created a "C" shape in the top-left corner. To avoid closing the loop, we must complete the line on top of the puzzle.

If we did the same on the bottom side, this would create a path that enters and exits the puzzle without visiting the whole room. The only way to avoid that is to move up.

Finally, to complete the puzzle, we have to link the top-half with the bottom-half, and there is only one way to achieve that.

It's done! And in every step, there was no other alternative. This proves that the problem had a unique solution.

2013-11-29

An Empty Square

Welcome to the Alcazar blog, where I will be posting puzzles, tips, news and exclusive stories about the game. A few puzzles are already waiting for you on the website.

One fascinating fact about Alcazar is that each puzzle has a unique solution. Because of that, there is always a way to solve them using pure logic.

It's sometimes hard to believe, like in the example right here. It's an empty room, but there is only one way to enter, visit the 16 squares once, and exit. You can try directly here: simply draw lines with your mouse!

Do you see the solution? How can we prove that it's the only one? Have fun!