Puzzles with numbers and things

[davis_greatest]

As a number of you have solved round 251 quickly, I'll also let you try this....

Round 253 - Another Big Ape Break Bonanza

... identical to round 251, except that now potting a colour into a pocket of the same colour as the ball scores double points AND a penalty of 5 points (so potting pink into pink pocket would score 2x6 -5 = 7 points - that's double points for the pink but then 5 points deducted).

Bids as always on the thread please.

[davis_greatest]

R251... looks like the top break of 323 has been found now by abextra, snookersfun and dantuck_7. Well done! It's just there to be equalled now... can't be bettered!

[dantuck_7]

For round 251 I'll start off with 323. That sounds a bit high - but I reckon Monique will be in with a 350 any moment now.

[Monique]

I'm behind ... OK got R248.

[snookersfun]

So... R251, abextra has found the maximum possible break... a 323!

Anyone able to match it?

Answers meanwhile to the other questions are coming in, it seems... although I haven't checked them yet!

yep, have the 323 now being send off as well

[davis_greatest]

So... R251, abextra has found the maximum possible break... a 323!

Anyone able to match it?

Answers meanwhile to the other questions are coming in, it seems... although I haven't checked them yet!

[snookersfun]

Wow, Monique and Snookersfun, you're so fast! I only sent out R252...

And I bid 323 points in R251...

Hi Abextra
well R 323 I just reached 322 first time through, so need to improve...

[abextra]

248, 249 and 252 sent out meanwhile

Wow, Monique and Snookersfun, you're so fast! I only sent out R252...

And I bid 323 points in R251...

[snookersfun]

Round 252 answered correctly...

248, 249 and 252 sent out meanwhile

[Monique]

Round 252 answered correctly...

[davis_greatest]

and another...

Round 252 - late in China

Damon Grott is rushing to his first round match against Maun Shirty in China, knowing that it will take him 20 minutes from his hotel. On his way, he remembers that he has forgotten his chalk. He knows that his opponent won't lend him one - but he cannot possibly play the whole match with no chalk!

He calculates that if he were to continue to the venue, he would be 8 minutes early. However, if he goes back to his hotel for his chalk, he will be 10 minutes late and be docked a frame.

What fraction of the way to the venue is he at that moment?

[davis_greatest]

Round 251 - The Big Ape Break Bonanzas are back!


Ape Break Bonanza is like normal snooker, with 15 reds, but there are 4 extra colours. You have to pot red, colour, red, colour etc, just like in normal snooker, but then pot the 10 colours in order (instead of the usual six).

The colours are:

yellow: 2 points (that says yellow: 2 points)
green: 3 points
brown: 4 points
blue: 5 points
pink: 6 points
black: 7 points
orange: 8 points
silver: 9 points
olive: 10 points
purple: 11 points


There are 10 pockets (one extra pocket added on each edge of the table). From top left, going clockwise, the pockets are:

purple, brown, orange, green, pink, silver, blue, olive, yellow, black

So the table looks a bit like this, with the value of the colour of each pocket shown for those who may be colour blind.

11------4------8
!......................!
!......................!
!......................!
7.....................3
!......................!
!......................!
!......................!
2.....................6
!......................!
!......................!
!......................!
10------5------9


The rules are:

a) Once a colour has been potted, the same colour cannot be potted following the next red, nor following the red after that. (Once the 15th red and colour have been potted, this rule no longer applies - the final colours may and must be potted in the usual order of yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black, orange, silver, olive, purple, regardless of the colours potted with the final reds.)

Example 1: Red Brown Red Yellow Red Blue Red Brown IS allowed
BUT
Example 2: Red Brown Red Yellow Red Brown IS NOT

Example 3: For the 14th and 15th reds,
Red Black Red Yellow Yellow Green Brown Blue Pink Black Orange Silver Olive Purple IS allowed



b) Whenever a colour has been potted, the following colour cannot be potted into any pocket that lies along the same edge of the table. That means that, if the pocket is on the side cushion, the next colour cannot be potted into a pocket on the same side of the table (left or right); and, if the pocket is on an end cushion, the next colour cannot be potted into a pocket at the same end of the table either. Corner pockets, of course, lie on side and end cushions!

This applies even when down to the final 10 colours.

For example, after potting a colour into the orange pocket, it would not be permissible to pot the next colour into the orange, green, pink or silver pockets (same side), nor into the purple or brown pockets (same end). As a second example, after potting a colour into the brown pocket, it would not be permissible to pot the next colour into the brown, orange or purple pockets (same end).


c) None of these rules apply to reds. It makes no difference into which pockets reds are potted.

d) And this is the important bit: potting a colour into a pocket of the same colour as the ball scores a bonus of 5 points (so potting pink into pink pocket would score 6+5 = 11 points).


As ever, your question is: what is the highest break (ignoring free balls) you can make?

You don't need to say the highest theoretically possible - you just need to bid the highest break that YOU can find.

If your bid is highest, you will be asked to explain how you get your break. For example, you might say:

Red
Green into Yellow pocket (or whatever)
Red
Pink into Orange pocket (or whatever)
....
...

and after all 15 reds and colours...

Yellow into Yellow pocket (or whatever)
Green into Silver pocket (or whatever)
Brown into Black pocket (or whatever)
....

Bids (experts and non-experts alike) on the thread please.

[davis_greatest]

Round 250 - Treble Trouble

Same as above, but now 3 total clearances! (Please see rules in post 2354.)

[davis_greatest]

Getting harder... please see rules in post 2354

Round 249 - Double clearance

This is just as before, but this time 2 total clearances by Gordon are shown on the scoreboard.

When Charlie filled in the scoreboard, he moved around each time colouring a square that touched the square he had previously coloured (moving horizontally, vertically or diagonally). When he began scoring the 2nd total clearance, he carried on from where he left off, i.e. touching the end of the first total clearance.

Whenever Gordon potted a colour after a red, it was always worth 1 point more than the previous colour he had potted, except of course if the previous colour had been a black.

Below is the final scoreboard.

Just find a possible route please...

[davis_greatest]

A few more rounds

Keep going with snookersfun's and Monique's questions!

Meanwhile, I'll post a few more rounds of varying difficulty. For the rounds I post today, the following will apply:

- the deadlines will be 10a.m. Monday 1 October.

- "Non-experts" please answer on the thread.

- "Experts" please state on the thread that you are answering, and send your answers by pager / PM please. If the round calls for a bid, place the bid on the thread too.


The first three will be set by Charlie's computer and are like the old coloured scoreboards rounds. Starting with an easy one....


Round 248 - Snooker Square

This morning, my pet gorilla Gordon played a frame of snooker against my pet orang-utan Oliver - both just back from their holidays! While each ape was at the table, the other kept score. Oliver didn't get much of a go, as Gordon made a total clearance.

Oliver kept score in what used to be a rather unusual way, but is now the accepted norm for all Ape Snooker tournaments. Each time that Gordon potted a ball, Oliver coloured in a square on a grid, the same colour as the ball potted. He started by colouring a square red, for Gordon's first red, and then moved around, each time colouring a square that touched the square he had previously coloured (moving horizontally, vertically or diagonally).

Whenever Gordon potted a colour after a red (from the 2nd red onwards), it was always worth 1 point more than the previous colour he had potted, except of course if the previous colour had been a black.



Below is the final scoreboard.

How many points in Gordon's break, and show a possible route that Oliver took in colouring the squares.