[Guest]

The greatest prize ever captured by pirates on the Spanish Main, the Treasure of the Golden Galleon, was recently unearthed on a Caribbean Island by treasure hunters using a map drawn by the last of the five pirate captains who once held the hoard. Each of the captains commanded a different ship flying the skull-and-crossbones and each buried the treasure on a different island--one on Hook Island--before losing it to another freebooter or, for the last owner, to modern metal detectors.

Given the following clues, determine the order in which the pirate captains possessed the Treasure of the Golden Galleon, each's ship, and the island where he buried the prize.

(i) Captain Flint didn't bury the booty on Goat's Beard Island.

(ii) Captain Jack Smack's sloop wasn't the Devil's Work.

(iii) The dread pirate Roberts didn't bury the loot on Ile de Morte.

(iv) Captain Wm Quid's ship wasn't the Pursuer.

(v) The captain of the Pursuer didn't bury the treasure on Ile de Morte.

(vi) Captain Wm Quid lost the hoard to the commander of the Devil's Work

(vii) Captain Flint held the treasure before losing it to the pirate who hid it on Skull Island.

(viii) Captain Roberts got the hoard from the captain who sailed the Silence.

(ix) Though the treasure was once buried on Isla San Pedro, that isn't where the treasure hunters recently found it. .

(x) The captain of the Grey Ghost, who wasn't Flint, didn't hide the prize on Skull Island.

(xi) Captain Dredd lost the treasure to the pirate who buried it on Goat's Beard Island; the latter lost the hoard to the captain of the Pursuer.

(xii) The master of the Bonny Maid held the treasure earlier than the pirate who hid it on Ile de Morte.

Edited January 25, 2010 by K Sengupta

[Guest]

The greatest prize ever captured by pirates on the Spanish Main, the Treasure of the Golden Galleon, was recently unearthed on a Caribbean Island by treasure hunters using a map drawn by the last of the five pirate captains who once held the hoard. Each of the captains commanded a different ship flying the skull-and-crossbones and each buried the treasure on a different island--one on Hook Island--before losing it to another freebooter or, for the last owner, to modern metal detectors.

Given the following clues, determine the order in which the pirate captains possessed the Treasure of the Golden Galleon, each's ship, and the island where he buried the prize.

(i) Captain Flint didn't bury the booty on Goat's Beard Island.

(ii) Captain Jack Smack's sloop wasn't the Devil's Work.

(iii) The dread pirate Roberts didn't bury the loot on Ile de Morte.

(iv) Captain Wm Quid's ship wasn't the Pursuer.

(v) The captain of the Pursuer didn't bury the treasure on Ile de Morte.

(vi) Captain Wm Quid lost the hoard to the commander of the Devil's Work

(vii) Captain Flint held the treasure before losing it to the pirate who hid it on Skull Island.

(viii) Captain Roberts got the hoard from the captain who sailed the Silence.

(ix) Though the treasure was once buried on Isla San Pedro, that isn't where the treasure hunters recently found it. .

(x) The captain of the Grey Ghost, who wasn't Flint, didn't hide the prize on Skull Island.

(xi) Captain Dredd lost the treasure to the pirate who buried it on Goat's Beard Island; the latter lost the hoard to the captain of the Pursuer.

(xii) The master of the Bonny Maid held the treasure earlier than the pirate who hid it on Ile de Morte.

There does not appear to be enough information to limit the number of solutions to one. It may help if there was at least one affirmative clue. Having only negative clues does not allow a significant degree of deduction to take place between more than three possibilities.

[Guest]

There does not appear to be enough information to limit the number of solutions to one. It may help if there was at least one affirmative clue. Having only negative clues does not allow a significant degree of deduction to take place between more than three possibilities.

I'd be interested to see your multiple solutions.

(in chronological order)

Captain Wm Quid; Bonny Maid; Isla San Pedro

Captain Flint; Devil's Work; Ile de Morte

Captain Dredd; Silence; Skull Island

Captain Roberts; Grey Ghost; Goat's Beard Island

Captain Jack Smack; Pursuer; Hook Island

Edited January 25, 2010 by ljb

[Wilson]

1st 2nd. 3rd. 4th. 5th.

CAPTAIN Quid Flint Dredd Roberts Smack

SHIP Bonny Maid Devils Work Silence Grey Ghost Pursuer

ISLAND San Pedro Morte Skull Goats Beard Hook

[Guest]

I too believe there are probably multiple solutions. I got the same as Wilson.

[Guest]

I'd be interested to see your multiple solutions.

(in chronological order)

Captain Wm Quid; Bonny Maid; Isla San Pedro

Captain Flint; Devil's Work; Ile de Morte

Captain Dredd; Silence; Skull Island

Captain Roberts; Grey Ghost; Goat's Beard Island

Captain Jack Smack; Pursuer; Hook Island

After creating links using the chronological order and utilizing brute force, I was able to find only a single solution (the one you provided). Without using brute force(guess, check, guess...), I cannot see how a solution could be formed directly from the given clues. If you didn't use a guess and check method, then please enlighten me.

[Guest]

After creating links using the chronological order and utilizing brute force, I was able to find only a single solution (the one you provided). Without using brute force(guess, check, guess...), I cannot see how a solution could be formed directly from the given clues. If you didn't use a guess and check method, then please enlighten me.

Same method of 'educated' guess & check. Frustrating, but worth it in the end.

[Guest]

There is only one solution, it's possible to verify that with only a limited amount of guessing.

From clue xi it's clear that Dredd had to be the 1st, 2nd or 3rd Captain to have the treasure. If you work through each of these possibilities two of them lead to contradictions, while the other leads to the solution described by wilson & ljb. So you only need to guess and check 3 times.