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Types of Gambit

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Simple Clues

In this type of gambit, you just have to follow the instructions, no more, no less. This type of gambit often gives you an insight into the history of the town.

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Anagrams

You will be given unordered letters and must work out the word or phrase the letters represent.

 

Riddles and Poems

These clues, often rhyming, are phrased in a way that you need ingenuity to figure out the answer.

 

Photo Clues

In these types of gambit, you will be shown one or more photos and you will have to compare them to what you see in real life on the hunt.

 

Number puzzles

In these puzzles you will have to follow instructions to find numbers that you will then be asked to add, deduct, multiply or divide to get the answer. For example, you might be asked the number of steps found in a specific staircase, divided by the number of windows in the front face of a nearby building.

 

Rebus puzzles

These are puzzles where you are provided with images that represent the words of the clue. All you have to do is work out what word each image represents. Below is an example of a simple rebus puzzle:

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Sample rebus

Ottendorf Cyphers (also known as book cyphers)

In this type of cypher you will find a piece of text and will be given blocks of three numbers. to decipher the answer. Each block of three numbers signifies one letter and together, all the blocks make up a word or phrase.

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In each individual block of 3 numbers, the first number tells you on which line of text the letter is located, the second number tells you which word on that line, and the final number tells you which letter in that word. So, in the following text, you are given number 253. This means you are looking on the second line, then you are looking in the fifth word, and finally you find the letter which is the third letter in that word. The answer is E. See if you can work out the other two letters to solve the letter-word answer you are looking for.

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Egg

Tic-Tac-Toe Cyphers

In this type of cypher, each letter of the alphabet is given a place in a tic-tac-toe style grid (see below).

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TIC TAC TOE.png

You will then be given a gambit showing the part of the grid each letter inhabits rather than the letter below. See the example below (which spells 'sin').

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Tic Tac Toe example (300 x 150 px).png

What3Words

The what3words system is an innovative approach to pinpointing locations that eschews traditional GPS coordinates for a more intuitive and memorable method. It divides the entire surface of the Earth into a grid of 3x3 meter squares, assigning each one a unique combination of three words, separated by periods. This means every location on the planet, from a specific doorway to a remote beach spot, can be precisely identified with just three words. To find or share a location, one simply needs to enter these words into the search bar on the what3words website or mobile app.

 

For instance, entering "metals.deeper.hits" directs you to a precise spot within the Oval Office. This system not only simplifies the process of sharing locations but also enhances accuracy and efficiency in navigation, delivery services, and emergency response scenarios.

Our Gambits

What is a Gambit?

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We call the 'clues' in our treasure hunts 'gambits' because not all of them are what you would call traditional clues. In our family-friendly hunts you might find puzzles, riddles, poems, photographs, cryptic clues and more. On this page we have detailed all the types of gambits we are currently using. You will also find some guidance on how to solve some of the trickier types of gambit.

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As our family-friendly hunts are permanent hunts, we can't hide physical items around the town. For that reason, you will find all the gambits here on this website.

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We want as many people as possible to have fun exploring and testing their brains on our hunts, so for each hunt, we have provided some easy gambits and some slightly more challenging . If you find yourself stumped by a gambit, you can check out the hint to get a little help. If you still can't figure it out, just click on the skip button to move on to the next gambit .

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Remember, if the gambit isn't on this list, it won't be used in our hunts (other than the annual prize hunt, which will be fiendishly difficult)!

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Here is a list of the gambits we are currently using: -

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