Puzzle 38: Treasure Beach
Puzzle Walkthrough
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Start with the fixed placements. “Exactly one contestant finished after Finn” forces Finn to 7th. “The Sapphire treasure was found in 5th place, exactly two places before Silver” puts Sapphire at 5th and Silver at 7th, so Finn found Silver. Harper finished immediately before the Sapphire finder, so Harper is 4th. Cassidy and Finn are consecutive with Finn immediately after Cassidy, and Cassidy dug 10 holes; with Finn locked to 7th, Cassidy is 6th.
Now anchor the hole math. The 1st-place finisher dug an even number that is neither 4 nor 6, so 1st uses 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16—but the 1st vs 2nd hole difference must be exactly 4. Also, the 6-hole digger finished before everyone who dug 10 or more. Because Finn (7th) dug more than Dante, Dante cannot be one of the largest counts. Keep these in mind as we place treasures and relative constraints.
Chain the “Silent/offset” style relations for this puzzle. The Sapphire finder is fixed at 5th and must have an odd number of holes; among the hole set, only 9 is odd and available, so the 5th-place dig count is 9. Use the “Rubric”-style offsets: Gold is one place before the 4-hole dig (since the 4-hole digger finishes exactly one place after the Gold finder). Also, among the 12/14/16 diggers, the earliest finisher found Bronze; and the Ruby count must be greater than Emerald’s holes but less than Bronze’s (with Bronze fixed to 12 holes).
Now the treasure ordering. “Emerald before Sapphire and with more holes than Amethyst” means Emerald’s placement is 1st–4th, before the 5th-place Sapphire, and its hole count exceeds Amethyst’s. “Exactly three finished between Ruby and Amethyst” locks their places four apart. “Obsidian finished after Silver but with fewer holes than Silver” means Obsidian must be 8th (the only slot after 7th), with a smaller hole count than Finn’s. These force a single consistent treasure timeline when combined with the already fixed 5th (Sapphire), 7th (Silver), and the one-apart Gold→4-holes pair.
Next, fit the contestants’ relative placements. Jane finished before both Suri and Dante, and Mina finished before Jane. Harper (4th) sits just before the 5th-place Sapphire finder; Cassidy is 6th and Finn 7th; these leave the early trio {1st, 2nd, 3rd} for Mina, Jane, and Dante, while Suri must be 5th (the Sapphire finder), and Natasha slots to the last remaining place (8th). With Mina before Jane and Jane before Dante/Suri, the only sequencing that satisfies all the gap rules and hole math is Mina 1st, Jane 2nd, Dante 3rd, Harper 4th, Suri 5th, Cassidy 6th, Finn 7th, Natasha 8th.
Finally, assign the exact hole counts and treasures. The only way to satisfy every numeric condition (1st even and not 4/6; 1st–2nd differ by 4; 6-hole earlier than all 10+; Bronze = earliest among 12/14/16; Ruby between Emerald and Bronze in hole counts; Gold one place before the 4-hole finisher; Sapphire 5th with odd holes; Obsidian after Silver with fewer holes) is:
- Mina (1st) dug 8 holes and found Gold; therefore the 2nd-place person dug 4 holes and found Amethyst (to hit the “Gold then 4-holes” rule and the “difference of 4” rule).
- Dante (3rd) is the 6-hole digger (earlier than all 10+). He finds Emerald (satisfying “Emerald before Sapphire” and “more holes than Amethyst”).
- Harper (4th) must be the earliest among 12/14/16 and so takes Bronze at 12 holes (and sits immediately before 5th as required).
- Suri (5th) is the Sapphire finder with 9 holes (the only odd slot).
- Cassidy (6th) dug 10 holes and takes Ruby (Ruby’s holes > Emerald’s 6 but < Bronze’s 12).
- Finn (7th) dug 16 holes and takes Silver.
- Natasha (8th) dug 14 holes and takes Obsidian (after Silver, fewer holes than Silver’s 16).
Every clue is satisfied and the configuration is unique.
Answers
Mina finished 1st, dug 8 holes, and found Gold.
Jane finished 2nd, dug 4 holes, and found Amethyst.
Dante finished 3rd, dug 6 holes, and found Emerald.
Harper finished 4th, dug 12 holes, and found Bronze.
Suri finished 5th, dug 9 holes, and found Sapphire.
Cassidy finished 6th, dug 10 holes, and found Ruby.
Finn finished 7th, dug 16 holes, and found Silver.
Natasha finished 8th, dug 14 holes, and found Obsidian.
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