Rules
Same Number Hunt (같은 숫자 찾기) was the final of The Genius Season 3 and a death match in Season 4. It is a memory game with arithmetic on top: you see the board once, and then you have to remember it.
The board
Sixteen tiles are labelled A to P. Behind them are the numbers 1 to 12 and the four operators + − × ÷, once each. At the start every tile is turned face up for a few seconds, then turned back.
A round on the show
- A target number is drawn. The same target never comes twice.
- The first player to buzz has 5 seconds to call a formula by letters: a number, an operator and a number, such as “F, K, B” for 9 + 4.
- The called tiles open in order. If the formula makes the target, the player scores.
- A wrong formula, or running out of time, passes the chance to the other player.
- After a correct answer one more tile is shown for 3 seconds, and the next target is drawn.
Our version
- Each correct formula is 1 point. The first player to 5 points wins.
- The first look lasts 5 seconds (10 on easy against the AI).
- After you buzz you have 10 seconds to tap the three tiles (20 on easy). You can also tap the tiles first; the button then buzzes and answers in one press.
- Results must be whole numbers above zero: no negative subtraction, no division with a remainder.
- Every called group of tiles flashes face up for 3 seconds, right or wrong. After a correct answer the next tile in order A, B, C… flashes too.
- A miss passes the chance to the other player once. If they miss too, the buzzer opens for both on the same target. If nobody buzzes for 30 seconds, the target is skipped.
- Practice (solo): ten targets with a 10-second look. Right +1, wrong −1, and you can skip a target.
Strategy
Remember the operators first. There are only four, and every formula needs one. Knowing where × is matters more than knowing where the 7 is.
Use 1 and ×. Any target from 1 to 12 is that number times 1. Remember where the 1 is and you can make most small targets.
Group the board. Memorise it as four rows of four, and say each row as a short phrase: “3, plus, 11, 6”.
Watch every flash. Your opponent’s wrong answers show you three tiles for free. So do the tiles shown between targets: the board fills in as the game goes on.