Verified solution
The shortest route from ARCS
ARCSARMSAIMSAIDSBIDSBODSBOOSBOOPPOOP
- 01ARCS → ARMS3rd letter, C to M
- 02ARMS → AIMS2nd letter, R to I
- 03AIMS → AIDS3rd letter, M to D
- 04AIDS → BIDS1st letter, A to B
- 05BIDS → BODS2nd letter, I to O
- 06BODS → BOOS3rd letter, D to O
- 07BOOS → BOOP4th letter, S to P
- 08BOOP → POOP1st letter, B to P
First moves
What happens after the opening word?
ARCS has 5 legal one-letter moves. These are the best routes after move one:
ARKS7 leftARMS7 leftARTS8 leftORCS9 leftARCH9 left
Answer notes
Why there can be more than one answer.
This opening has 8 distinct paths at the minimum length of 8. The route shown above is one complete answer, not the only valid sequence. Any route reaching POOP in 8 moves is equally short.
Calculate a route from a different word →