Puzzle Rating System: What You Need to Know

There are all sorts of puzzles, from logic puzzles to crosswords to jigsaw puzzles. With so many options, knowing which puzzle is right for you can be hard. After all, not all puzzles are created equal! Some are easy, some are hard, and some are frustrating. So how can you figure out which puzzle is the right fit?

Luckily, a rating system for puzzles can help guide you to the right one. Here's what you need to know about the puzzle rating system for different puzzle games.

Jigsaw Puzzle Games

Rating puzzles in order of difficulty is difficult, as there is no clear and objective way to measure a puzzle's complexity. After all, everyone approaches puzzles with different abilities, and what may be easy for one person might be a challenge for another. Nevertheless, some general rules can help assess a jigsaw puzzle's relative difficulty.

The first step is to look at the number of pieces in the puzzle. The more pieces there are, the harder the puzzle will be. If you're a beginner, it's best to start with a smaller puzzle with fewer pieces. As you get more experience, you can move on to larger puzzles with more pieces.

Another factor to consider is the shape of the pieces. Puzzles with irregularly shaped pieces are generally more difficult than those with regular, geometric shapes. This is because it's harder to find where each piece goes when the pieces don't fit together in a neat and orderly fashion.

Finally, you should also look at the image on the puzzle. The puzzle will be more difficult if it's a complex image with lots of small details. Conversely, a puzzle with a simple image or one with large, easily identifiable pieces will be easier to solve.

Crossword Puzzles

When it comes to crossword puzzles, one of the most widely used systems for the ranking difficulty is based on the day of the week. Whether you're a seasoned puzzle-solver or someone just starting, chances are you've encountered the ubiquitous "Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday-Friday-Saturday" rankings. The New York Times is perhaps most famous for this system, but many other crossword creators also use it.

The easiest end of the spectrum is Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. These beginner days feature smaller puzzle grids with shorter words and easier clues. Thursday comes next, with slightly longer words and trickier clues; Friday brings bigger grids and even longer words; and Saturday marks the true challenge, typically filled with long words and tricky clues that require deep knowledge of obscure trivia. Finally, Sunday crosses are known for their exceptionally large size, asking players to tackle their difficulty level on par with what you might expect on a Thursday puzzle.

Whether you prefer quick Monday puzzles or long weekend brainbusters, there's a rich diversity across the different crossword genres. So take your pick - whatever your level of expertise or interest in complexity - there's a perfect puzzle waiting for you! And if you need help along the way, remember one thing: knowledge is power! So delve into those word lists, keep studying up on your trivia facts, and before you know it, you'll be conquering every crossword like a champ!

3D Puzzles

There is no one way to determine the difficulty ranking of a 3D puzzle. However, there are a few key factors to consider when evaluating its challenge level. The most important point is that solving a puzzle is about understanding how it works and being able to make the necessary adjustments on your own. This means that you must be able to deconstruct or reconstruct the mechanism without consulting the solution and understand how it operates internally.

Additionally, evaluating a puzzle's difficulty goes beyond simply following steps from a solution guide or copying what you've seen on YouTube. It requires you to approach the puzzle with an open mind, creatively and intuitively problem-solving to deduce how best to take it apart or put it back together.

Overall, assessing a 3D puzzle's difficulty ultimately comes down to your abilities, so only you can accurately gauge whether you are ready for more advanced puzzles. But with persistence and practice, there is no limit to what you can achieve!

Sudoku

Modern sudoku puzzles come in a wide range of levels, each with its unique set of techniques required to generate a solution. At the lower end of the spectrum, level 1 puzzles can be solved by reducing the possibilities for a particular square or cell down to just one option. This is often done by eliminating other possible values for that particular square.

As we move up to level 2 puzzles, we start to see the use of more advanced techniques, such as pairs and chains within individual blocks. These might include simply recognizing pairs of numbers that occur together in a particular row or column or tracking longer chains of numbers (for example, finding two interconnected squares with the same number).

At level 3, we begin to see more complex strategies, such as X-wing and Y-wing techniques, where certain patterns within individual rows or columns may help to reduce possibilities further. And at level 4 and beyond, we are looking at techniques like Nishio and Forcing Chains – highly complex approaches that require making assumptions about possible solutions and tracing their results throughout the puzzle.

Truly advanced sudoku players must have logic skills, patience, creativity, and perseverance to solve even the most challenging puzzle at this level.

Rubik's Cube

Four main factors determine the difficulty of a Rubik's Cube: the size of the cube, the number of colors, the number of moves, and the time limit. Let's break each of these down so you can more easily rate the difficulty of a Rubik's cube.

Size

The smaller the cube, the harder it is to solve. That's because there are fewer pieces to work with, so it's easy to get stuck. A 3x3x3 cube is considered an easy Puzzle, while a 4x4x4 cube is considered medium, and anything larger than that is considered hard.

Colors

The more colors on a cube, the harder it is to solve. That's because there are more choices, and it becomes more difficult to track what you've already done. A 3x3x3 cube with six colors is considered easy, while a 3x3x3 cube with seven colors is considered medium, and anything more than that is considered hard. 

Moves

The fewer moves you have to make to solve a cube, the harder it is. That's because there are fewer opportunities to make mistakes and more opportunities for things to go wrong. A 3x3x3 cube that can be solved in 30 moves or less is considered easy, while a 3x3x3 cube that can be solved in 50 moves or less is considered medium, and anything more than that is considered hard. 

Time Limit

The shorter the time limit, the harder the puzzle is. That's because you have less time to think about your moves and make mistakes. A 3x3x3 cube with a time limit of 1 minute is considered easy, while the same cube with a time limit of 2 minutes is considered medium, and anything more than that is considered hard.