I'm not sure why Shlomi Fish or Michael Keller didn't mention
my solver/player, but it has no difficulty with this game or your
position within it. Here is the last point where your solution is
solvable. Beyond that you have made the position impossible.
Please, people, mention my solver when you need to solve
something beyond the capability of FCPro and you would like
to use Windows as a program base. I would appreciate it.
-Gary Campbell
(solver available free at
http://numin8r.us/programs
QC TS 9H KS 9D 7H QH 2D AC 2H
QD 3S 5C 6C 8S 7C KH 6D KD KC JC
QS JH 2S TC 7D 3D 8H
5S 2C 3H AS 6S 9S 4H
8C 7S 5D 5H 3C
6H TH JD JS
4C TD 4D 4S
9C
8D
GAME #715037 is solved partially as follows: {15 1 0 0 -2 -2 524 524 2 2 0 0 68 68 2000 100}
8h 5d 5c 5b 5a d5 65 65 68 65
6d 76 72 a2 6a[76]74 a7 6a 83
72 c6 38 7c a7 83 38 6a 83 c6
56 7c 38 83 ??
----- Original Message -----
From: newtton
To: fc-solve-discuss_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2009 2:06 PM
Subject: challenging Freecell position
I ran across a Freecell position that gives your solver (and others) difficulty. (The moves leading to this position are given below.) Here's what happened: I was playing with Freecell Pro and got into this position. When I checked the solvability, I got Yes, but I couldn't see how myself. I fumbled around a bit and then checked the solvability again, and it said No. This would not have been a surprise except the only difference from the first position was a reversible move (the three of clubs can be moved freely between two columns.) What a shock! I thought the solver always told the truth (or came to no conclusion at all.)
I reported the problem to Michael Keller and he suggested the newer version of FC Pro that has 3 solvers, including yours. Yours reports this position impossible. But the 3rd solver, Patsolve, reported it solvable -- whereever the 3 of clubs was placed. Using the solution generated by Patsolve I was able to see how to get out of the difficulty.
This is just my opinion, but it seems to me that if you are going to release a program to the public and call it a solver, then it is understandable if it can't come to a conclusion about certain positions, but it should at least come to the correct conclusion if it does.
#715037 Attempt: 5 NumFcs=4 (FCPro)
8h 5d 5c 5b 5a d5 65 65 68 65
6d 76 72 a2 6a 76 74 a7 6a 83
72 c6 38 7c a7 83 38 6a 83 c6
56 7c 38 83
Received on Sun Oct 18 2009 - 14:42:18 IST