Puzzle #1 · Wednesday, September 30

Eight landmarks.
Where does each one fit?

Put each landmark in the category where it scores best: 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.

Winter PalaceTsars' palace, now the Hermitage Museum
Great Mosque of DjennéMosque of mud brick, replastered by the whole town
CN TowerConcrete tower with a glass floor and an EdgeWalk
Empire State BuildingArt Deco skyscraper that King Kong climbed
St. Peter's BasilicaRenaissance basilica beneath Michelangelo's dome
BorobudurBuddhist temple of stacked terraces and stupas
Aqueduct of SegoviaAqueduct of stacked arches, built without mortar
Chichén ItzáMaya city with a stepped pyramid

Far from the equator1 pt per 6° north or south
Known worldwide1 pt per 15 Wikipedia languages
Old timer1 pt per doubling over 1 year old
Sky high1 pt per 100 ft tall
In Africa10 pts if in AfricaYes or no
Most looked-up1 pt per 100,000 Wikipedia views in 2025
Hot spot1 pt per 5°F of yearly average over 30°F
Rainy1 pt per 8 inches of rain a year

Figures come from Wikidata, the sites’ own operators, NASA climate records and UNESCO. Photos from Wikimedia Commons. No clock: take your time. One scored game per device per day; replays are practice.

How to play

Eight landmarks 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 landmarks in its order. Put each in an open category: it scores 0 to 10 there. Each category takes one landmark, 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 firstlandmark 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 landmarks 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. Age and visitors count doublings: each one adds the points on the tile, so 8 to 16 years old counts as much as 500 to 1,000. A category a landmark can’t fairly answer, like a mountain’s height, it sits out.

Sky high: From the ground to its highest point, spire or antenna included (a waterfall's drop, a rock's rise over the land around it): 1 point for every 100 ft, so 500 ft scores 5, and 1,000 ft or more 10. Mountains sit this one out; their elevation says it.
Altitude: How high above sea level it sits (a mountain's summit, a lake's surface): 1 point for every 1,000 ft, so 5,000 ft scores 5, and 10,000 ft or more 10. At or below sea level scores 0.
Old timer: Years since work on it began: 1 point for every doubling over 1 year, so 8 years scores 3, 64 years 6, 512 years 9, and about 1,000 years or more 10. Natural wonders sit this one out.
Far from the equator: How far it is from the equator, north or south: 1 point for every 6 degrees of latitude, so 30° scores 5, and 60° or more 10.
Crowd pleaser: Visitors in a recent year: 1 point for every doubling over 5,000, so 40,000 scores 3, 320,000 6, 2.6 million 9, and about 5 million or more 10.
Most looked-up: How often people read its English Wikipedia article in 2025: 1 point for every 100,000 views, so 500,000 scores 5, and a million or more 10.
Known worldwide: How many languages Wikipedia has an article on it in: 1 point for every 15, so 75 languages scores 5, and 150 or more 10.
Hot spot: The average temperature over a whole year where it stands (NASA, 2001-2020): 1 point for every 5°F over 30°F, so 55°F scores 5, and 80°F or more 10. A summit reads as the area around it.
Rainy: Rain and snow where it stands, in inches of water a year (NASA, 2001-2020): 1 point for every 8 inches, so 40 inches scores 5, and 80 or more 10.
In Europe: It's in Europe (Istanbul's European side included): 10 points.
In Asia: It's in Asia, the Middle East included: 10 points.
In Africa: It's in Africa: 10 points.
In North America: It's in North America, Central America and the Caribbean included: 10 points.
In South America: It's in South America: 10 points.
Down Under: It's in Australia, New Zealand or the Pacific islands: 10 points.
Capital city: It stands in its country's capital city: 10 points. Natural wonders sit this one out.
All white: It's mostly white: 10 points.
Seeing red: It's mostly red or orange: 10 points.
World Heritage: It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or part of one: 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. Figures come from Wikidata, the sites’ own operators, NASA climate records and UNESCO. Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Each photo's author and license are under it. More in About.