Can you solve the dragon jousting riddle? - Alex Gendler

翻译人员: Rich Lee 校对人员: Jingyu Jin

After centuries of war,

几个世纪的战争后，

the world’s kingdoms have come to an agreement.

世界各王国达成协议。

Every five years, teams representing the elves, goblins, and treefolk

每五年，代表精灵， 小妖精和树人的队伍

will compete in a grand tournament of dragon jousting.

将会在隆重的龙上骑枪比武中竞赛。

Every team will face each of the others once.

每支队伍都会互相竞赛一次。

The kingdom whose team wins the most matches will rule all of Center-Realm

赢得最多场比赛的队伍的王国 将能统治所有中心区域

until the next tournament.

直到下次比武。

To prevent any outside meddling,

为了预防外部干涉，

the games are to be conducted in absolute secret

比赛会在绝对机密的情况下进行

except for a group of wizards who will make sure

除了巫师队伍要确保

nobody uses enchantments, hexes, or spells to cheat.

没人使用魔法，妖术， 或咒语来作弊。

You’ve been given the extremely important job of recording the scores

在首届比武中，

for the first inaugural tournament.

你被给予了记录比分 这项非常重要的工作。

But the opening celebrations get a bit out of control,

但是开幕庆典变得有些失控，

and when you wake up,

当你醒来时，

you realize the games are already underway.

意识到比赛已经开始了。

Fortunately, no one has noticed your absence so far.

幸运的是， 目前还没人发现你的缺席。

However, you need to get up to speed quickly;

但是，你需要快速起床；

if your boss, the head tournament official,

如果你的上司， 比武的首席官员，

finds out you’ve been sleeping on the job, you’ll lose your head.

发现你在工作期间睡觉， 你就会小命不保。

After weighing your options,

权衡选择后，

you decide to offer your life’s savings to one of the regulation wizards

你决定将自己一生的积蓄 交给一个管理巫师

in return for the information,

作为消息的回报，

giving him your blank scorecard to fill out.

你让他将空白的记分卡填满。

But before he can finish, your boss walks into the tent.

但在他完成之前， 你的上司走进了帐篷。

You barely manage to hide the scorecard in time,

你差点没能及时把记分卡藏起来，

and the wizard excuses himself.

巫师为自己辩解。

Your boss chuckles.

你的上司笑了笑。

“Hope you didn’t believe anything Gorbak’s been saying—

“希望你没有相信 Gorbak说的任何话——

he’s been cursed to tell only lies, even in writing.

他被诅咒只能说谎， 即使书写也一样。

Anyway, can you believe how low-scoring the tournament’s been?

无论如何， 你能相信比武的比分有多低吗？

Every team has played at least once,

每支队伍至少要比一次赛，

yet not a single match with a combined score of more than five hits!

但是没有一场比赛 得分加起来超过5分的！

Anyhow, I’ll be back in a minute to review your scorecard.”

总之， 我很快会回来复查你的记分卡。”

You laugh along,

你也跟着笑了起来，

and when he leaves you look at the partially completed card,

当他离开的时候 你看了看部分填完的卡片，

now knowing every single number on it is wrong.

明白了卡片上的每个数字都是错的。

You’ve only got one chance to save yourself,

你只有一个机会能拯救自己，

so what’s the real score of each match?

那么每场比赛的真实比分是多少？

Pause now to figure it out for yourself.

现在暂停自己来解决这个问题。

The incredible thing about this riddle is that you can reach the solution

这个谜题的惊人之处在于

尽管几乎完全缺乏正确信息 你仍能找到解决方案。

despite an almost complete lack of correct information.

And that’s possible because knowing that something is false

并且这是可能的， 因为知道某些东西是假的

is meaningful information in its own right.

本身就是有意义的信息。

The first key is to realize that no team will play more than two matches,

首个关键是了解 每支队伍最多进行两场比赛，

since there are only two other teams.

因为只有两支其他队伍。

So if the elves didn’t actually play one match,

所以如果精灵队一场比赛都没参加，

and the goblins didn’t actually play two,

且小妖精队没有参加两场比赛，

the truth must be that elves played two and goblins played one.

真实情况就必然是精灵队比赛两场 而小妖精队比赛一场。

For the elves to have played two matches,

如果精灵队比赛两场，

they must’ve faced each of the other teams once.

他们必然分别遇见过其他队伍一次。

And since goblins have only played one match so far— against the elves—

因为小妖精队目前只参加过一场比赛 对战的是精灵队

that means the match between goblins and treefolk has not occurred yet.

这就意味着 小妖精队和树人队间的比赛还没开始。

We know it’s false that the treefolk tied zero matches,

我们知道树人队0场平局是假的，

which means their bout against the elves must’ve tied.

意味着他们和精灵队的比赛 一定是平局。

We also know that the elves won at least one match,

我们还知道 精灵队至少赢了一场比赛，

and since they tied against the treefolk, they must have beaten the goblins.

因为他们和树人队是平局， 那么他们一定击败了小妖精队。

But can we figure out the actual scores?

但是我们怎么解出真实的比分呢？

Let’s start with the elf-treefolk tie.

让我们从精灵队和 树人队的比赛开始。

Because no more than five total hits were scored,

因为没有一场比赛的总比分 超过5分，

the final tally must’ve been 0-0, 1-1, or 2-2.

最终的计分一定是 0-0,1-1，或2-2。

But the treefolk must’ve scored some hits,

但树人队一定有得分，

and it’s false that they only had one hit scored against them.

并且他们在比赛中只得了1分 这件事是假的。

The only option that leaves is 2-2.

那么唯一可能的比分就是2-2.

In the match between elves and goblins,

在精灵队和小妖精队的比赛中，

the goblins must’ve scored at least one hit.

小妖精队一定至少得了一分。

And the elf score must be 2 or more for them to have won the match.

精灵队赢得了比赛 那么他们的分数必定为2分或更高。

This leaves only a few possibilities that add up to 5 or less.

既然得分总计为5分或更低， 那么仅剩几种可能。

The elves couldn’t have scored three, so that eliminates these two.

精灵队不可能得3分， 所以排除了这两种。

And their total hits scored across both matches can’t add up to six,

并且他们两场比赛的得分 总计达不到6分，

so this one’s out too.

所以这种可能也排除。

So the score must’ve been 2-1.

即比分一定是2-1。

With one match remaining,

只剩下一场比赛了，

you’ve managed to save your job— and your neck.

你成功保住了自己的工作--- 和性命。

Gorbak the wizard may have lied,

巫师Gorbak可能说谎，

but your deductive skills quickly evened the score.

但你的推演能力很快摆平了这一切。