Puzzle #1 · Wednesday, September 30

Eight foods.
Where does each one fit?

Put each food in the category where it scores best, gram for gram: one to a category, in the lineup's order, so plan for the ones still to come. The better the fit, the bigger the trick, and five judges score each wave out of 10, for up to 80.0 in all.

CoffeeBrewed from roasted beans
SpinachLeafy green that powers up Popeye
OatmealRolled oats for porridge
Baked potatoPotato baked in its jacket
Fried chickenCrispy battered chicken pieces
BaconCrispy strips of cured pork belly
Brazil nutsBig nut that packs into a woody pod
PistachiosGreen nut in a shell that splits open

Carbs1 pt per 6 g of carbs per 100 g
Salty1 pt per doubling over 1 mg of sodium per 100 g
Fat1 pt per 4 g of fat per 100 g
Calorie bomb1 pt per 50 calories per 100 g
From Asia10 pts if first grown or made in AsiaYes or no
Cholesterol1 pt per 10 mg of cholesterol per 100 g
Potassium1 pt per 60 mg of potassium per 100 g
Most looked-up1 pt per 60,000 Wikipedia views in 2025

Nutrients per 100 g as eaten, from USDA FoodData Central. Photos from Wikimedia Commons. No clock: take your time. One scored game per device per day; replays are practice.

How to play

Eight foods and eight categories a day, the same for everyone. A new board rolls in at midnight Pacific.
You see the whole lineup from the start, and place the foods in its order. Put each in an open category: it scores 0 to 10 there, gram for gram. Each category takes one food, so plan for the ones still to come.
Every match is a wave, and the sets build through the heat, from 5 ft for the firstfood to 30 ft for the last. The better the fit, the bigger the trick: a 0 is a wipeout, a 10 big air.
Five judges hold up cards for every wave, the match's score out of 10, and the high and the low are dropped. Your score is your eight waves added up, up to 80.0, set against the best board the day's foods allow. Every day has a near-perfect one: 77.6 or better.
Your first game on a device counts. Replays are practice.

The trick each score earns
Score	Trick
10.0	Backflip or Air 360
8.5-9.9	Indy grab
6.5-8.4	Frontside air
4.5-6.4	Lip snap
2.5-4.4	Carve
0.1-2.4	Wipeout
0.0	Big wipeout

The categories, and how each one scores. Every nutrient is per 100 grams of the food as it’s usually eaten, so a spoonful of salt and a bowl of soup compare gram for gram. Salt counts doublings.

Calorie bomb: Calories in 100 grams: 1 point for every 50, so 250 calories scores 5, and 500 or more 10.
Protein: Grams of protein in 100 grams: 1 point for every 2.5 g, so 12.5 g scores 5, and 25 g or more 10.
Fat: Grams of fat in 100 grams: 1 point for every 4 g, so 20 g scores 5, and 40 g or more 10.
Carbs: Grams of carbohydrate in 100 grams: 1 point for every 6 g, so 30 g scores 5, and 60 g or more 10.
Sugar rush: Grams of sugar in 100 grams, natural or added: 1 point for every 3 g, so 15 g scores 5, and 30 g or more 10.
Fiber: Grams of dietary fiber in 100 grams: 1 point for every gram, so 5 g scores 5, and 10 g or more 10.
Salty: Milligrams of sodium in 100 grams: 1 point for every doubling over 1 mg, so 8 mg scores 3, 64 mg 6, 512 mg 9, and about 1,000 mg or more 10.
Potassium: Milligrams of potassium in 100 grams: 1 point for every 60 mg, so 300 mg scores 5, and 600 mg or more 10. (A banana has about 360.)
Calcium: Milligrams of calcium in 100 grams: 1 point for every 20 mg, so 100 mg scores 5, and 200 mg or more 10.
Iron: Milligrams of iron in 100 grams: 1 point for every half a milligram, so 2.5 mg scores 5, and 5 mg or more 10.
Vitamin C: Milligrams of vitamin C in 100 grams: 1 point for every 5 mg, so 25 mg scores 5, and 50 mg or more 10.
Watery: How much of it, by weight, is water: 1 point for every 10%, so a food that's half water scores 5.
Cholesterol: Milligrams of cholesterol in 100 grams: 1 point for every 10 mg, so 50 mg scores 5, and 100 mg or more 10. Plants have none.
Most looked-up: How often people read its English Wikipedia article in 2025: 1 point for every 60,000 views, so 300,000 scores 5, and 600,000 or more 10.
From the Americas: It was first grown, or first made, in North, Central or South America: 10 points. Tomatoes, potatoes and chocolate all count. A food of disputed birthplace sits this one out.
From Asia: It was first grown, or first made, in Asia, the Middle East included: 10 points. A food of disputed birthplace sits this one out.
From Europe: It was first grown, or first made, in Europe: 10 points. A food of disputed birthplace sits this one out.
Grows on trees: It's the fruit, nut or sap of a tree: 10 points. Bananas grow on a giant herb and peanuts underground, so neither counts. Only plant foods are asked.
Wake-up call: It has caffeine, 1 mg or more per 100 grams: 10 points.

Ride the curve. When you finish, you'll see how your heat stacks up against everyone who played today.

Calm motion

Rides play without flips, spins, or tumbling, waves rise in place instead of rolling in, and the sea stays still.

No sign-up. We store only an anonymous, hashed device ID with your scores. Nutrients per 100 g as eaten, from USDA FoodData Central. Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Each photo's author and license are under it. More in About.