Puzzlesolver

Puzzlesolver is a term used to describe a person, algorithm, or system that tackles puzzles. It encompasses human solvers who apply pattern recognition, deduction, and domain knowledge, and computational solvers that use automated methods to find solutions. The concept is encountered in recreational puzzles, education, game design, and AI research.

Human solving relies on decomposing problems, identifying constraints, and applying heuristics. Computer-based puzzlesolvers use algorithms such as backtracking, constraint programming, SAT/SMT solvers, and optimization, along with search and, increasingly, machine learning techniques for planning and reasoning.

Common puzzle domains include word puzzles, number puzzles (for example Sudoku), logic puzzles, cryptic puzzles, and image or jigsaw-based challenges. In AI, puzzlesolvers serve as benchmarks for problem solving, generation, and evaluation of puzzle difficulty.

Limitations arise from ambiguity, design that permits multiple valid approaches, or high combinatorial complexity. For humans, time pressure and cognitive load matter; for computers, scalability and generalization remain challenges. See also: puzzle, game AI, constraint satisfaction problems.