Sliding Puzzle
Rules[edit]
Slide pieces on the board so that they reach the given end configuration.
Rule variations[edit]
- Identify which arrangement of pieces can be slided to form the given configuration. (from WPC 2017)
- Identify the minimum number of swaps required to achieve the given configuration. The swapped tiles need not be adjacent to each other. (from WPC 2017)
History of the puzzle[edit]
Most famous and earliest of sliding puzzles, the 15 puzzle, was invented by Noyes Palmer Chapman (USA) in 1874. The game was already popular in America in the 1880s. [1]
Since then, many variants have emerged. To name a few, Klotski was patented by Lewis W. Hardy (USA) in 1909. On-Off puzzle by Nob Yoshigahara (Japan) was used in a single-puzzle round in WPC 1992.
Appearances in the past WPCs[edit]
- WPC 2017/Round 17 by Amit Sowani, Swaroop Guggilam