This is an ongoing project, in which I am attempting to replicate the math puzzle Chrono as a web game. It currently exists as a proof-of-concept showing how a game of Chrono can be generated, using an implementation of the backbite algorithm.

OVERVIEW

Chrono is a member of the Mathable series of math puzzle games. Given a 5x5 board of numbers and a starting point, you must create a valid mathematical equation linking two tiles (the operands) to a third tile (the result of the operation), and repeat this process with valid equations (+, -, x and /) involving your previous result, until every number on the board has been used.

After being fascinated by this puzzle for quite some time, I researched how a web implementation of this obscure puzzle could be made. To generate a Chrono puzzle on a nxm grid (where n and m are odd), all that is required is a Hamiltonian path (a path that visits every tile on the grid), which can then be iterated over and populated with procedurally generated numbers following the valid set of math operations.

This project contains a Javascript implementation of the backbite algorithm for generating Hamiltonian paths, which is extended to support diagonal movement on the path as seen in real-life Chrono puzzles. The puzzle is also extended to support a few larger grid sizes than in the original puzzle.

FUTURE PLANS

In the future, I hope to fully develop this into an interactive Chrono web game. For now, it can generate valid puzzle boards which you can try yourself, before displaying the solution!