The Divide
The Divide is a find the rule puzzle. Group A follows a hidden rule and Group B breaks it. A new tile appears in the middle, and you decide which group it belongs to. It works like the Bongard problems psychologists and AI researchers use, cut down to a few seconds.
- SkillAbstraction
- Ages8 and up
- Par time15 seconds
- PriceFree, no ads
How to play The Divide
- Look at Group A and ask what all three tiles have in common.
- Check that Group B breaks that rule in every tile.
- Apply the rule to the highlighted tile and tap A or B.
How it gets harder
Early rounds use visible rules such as being a circle or a square. From the third level up, rules become more abstract: filled in, a single shape, three or more shapes, or an even number of shapes.
Tips
- Ignore colour first. It is never the rule, so it is pure noise.
- If two rules seem to fit, check Group B. Only one rule splits the groups cleanly.
Playing The Divide as a family
The Divide is a good one to argue about. Say your rule out loud before you tap and let the other person try to break it.
The Divide is also one of the thirteen games in the Brainpilates daily mix. On days it comes up, everyone plays the same board, and you can send your result to someone as a challenge to beat.
Questions about The Divide
- What is a Bongard problem?
- A puzzle where two sets of pictures are separated by a rule and you have to say what the rule is. The Divide uses the same idea but asks you to place one new tile instead of naming the rule.
- Can a puzzle have two possible rules?
- No. Every board is checked so that exactly one rule in the library separates the two groups.