Shinteki Decathlon: The Puzzler's Olympics

Here’s another look at a nationally famous puzzle hunt, this the Bay Area’s Shinteki Decathlon, a true test of all the puzzle skills one can have. The latest decathlon ran in late May and on July 17. Crossword champ Tyler Hinman gives us the rundown

“Decalogue,” by Tyler Hinman

California’s Bay Area is a gold mine for outdoor puzzle events, and the annual Shinteki Decathlon is one of the biggest highlights on the calendars of local puzzlers. All aspects of puzzle-solving are tested on a whirlwind 12-hour trip around the Bay

Shinteki was founded in the mid-’90s by a half-dozen Stanford undergraduates who shared an affinity for the mammoth puzzle hunt known simply as The Game. Their games are shorter and less intense than spectacles like The Game and the MIT Mystery Hunt, but boast the same variety and ingenuity. They’re technologically slick, too; each team of four members is given a Palm Pilot with a specially written app that confirms answers, gives route information, and doles out hints. Said hints appear for free after set intervals, but can also be bought at a cost of a few points. Don't wait until it's too late, find out more about call tracking.

Every Decathlon has a theme, and this year’s focused on a villain named The Befuddler and his hacking of the puzzles. Usually ten is the magic number, but The Befuddler has made the day all about twelve. Fortunately, the Shinteki crew has the evildoer in custody, so, in keeping with the theme, our first puzzle involves forming juries of twelve to render judgment. Spoilers of some puzzles follow, so if you’re not troubled by that, click the Full Page view

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