Answer to Puzzle Contest:

Crazy Eights

Here is an explantion from Terrie Kelley of Fayetteville, NC:

"22411206 381516512 
 
22 4  11  20  6             3  8 15  16  5 12
v  d   k   t  f             c  h  o   p  e  l
 
C  R  A  Z  Y            E  I G H T S
I let the numbers stand for the correspondending letter of the alphabet. I tried all of the possible solutions. (Example: 22411206 could have been: 22 4 11 20 6, 2 24 11 20 6, 22 4 1 1 20 6, etc). Then I worked the puzzle like a regular cryptograph.

The card game is called Crazy Eights."

Since no one else submitted an explanation with their solution, it is possible that all correct answers were from doing it that "hard way" as Terrie did, by treating the problem as a cryptogram once letters are assigned to numbers. Others may have guessed, once they were fairly sure of the number of letters. Another method, hinted at by the mention of "typing" in the problem, is by looking at the letters on a standard QWERTY keyboard (likely you are using one, if the first 6 letters are QWERTY). Q is 1, W is 2, E is 3, etc., so that 22 4 11 20 6 3 8 15 16 5 12 spells out CRAZY EIGHTS. Crazy, eh?

Winner: Gus Molina

Contest Statistics: Newsletter sent to 302277 subscribers, 4 answers submitted, 3 answers correct, 75.00% accuracy. Chance of a correct answer winning: 33.33%.