Eternity page


A solution to this puzzle was found on 15th May 2000 by Alex Selby and Oliver Riordan. Another solution was found independently by Günter Stertenbrink on 1st July 2000. No other people are known to have solved it.


Links to external Eternity sites

  • Brendan Owen's Eternity page
    This contains a good description of the puzzle plus other links.

  • Ed Pegg's page


  • Mailing list
    Lively discussion group. Here are three excerpts I found interesting:
    Jan 2000 Patrick Hamlyn explains what kind of breadth first search he is using (also mentioned by James Kittock and Grant Peacock) (see "notes from a talk" below)


    Aug 2000 Andrew Cook describes a self-adjusting exhaustive search algorithm


    Sep 2000 Günter Stertenbrink posts a clever authentication method (see "notes from a talk" below)


  • Official Ertl site
    Included for completeness


    Some explanatory pages

  • Our solution

  • Our method (the talk below is more recent and probably a better explanation)

  • Notes from a talk on solving Eternity

  • Less technical description


    Some partly accurate news stories

  • Telegraph story about the puzzle's launch (3/6/1999) [local copy - original cannot be found]

  • Telegraph feature about inventor's house (November 1999?).

  • Eternity puzzle is a best seller, "but it is impossible".
    Fortunately I didn't read this story until after we solved it. (14/12/1999)

  • The puzzle inventor is sanguine in "This is North Scotland" (28/1/2000) [local copy - original cannot be found]

  • The inventor fears the worst (15/3/2000)

  • BBC news story during the period the solutions were being verified (2/10/2000)

  • The Times adds to the tension. Are we one of the "three winners"? (17/10/2000) [The Times is now a subscription service. To find this article from the Times archives, try searching for the keywords: 621 digits monckton unfathomable]

  • The Indy "An announcement from the scrutineers is expected shortly."
    But not that shortly as it turned out. (17/10/2000)

  • The local paper joins in (17/10/2000) [local copy - original cannot be found]

  • Yahoo press release - looks like we did win after all. Send it! (26/10/2000) [local copy - original cannot be found]

  • BBC news agrees (26/10/2000)

  • So does the Indy (27/10/2000)

  • and The Times (27/10/2000) [The Times is now a subscription service. To find this article from the Times archives, try searching for the keywords: monckton aberdeenshire cardboard 48 209]

  • and here are some pictures to prove it. If he can wear that tie, I can wear that jumper. (He's the marketing director of the toy company ERTL/Racing Champions, by the way.)
    And Larger picture of us with loadsafakemoney. (Oh dear I can't seem to find the silly champagne picture.) (27/10/2000)

  • Slightly more in-depth article from the Guardian.
    Apparently I don't know much about banging hardcore trance. (30/10/2000)

  • Article about me at Mind Sports Olympiad website (2/11/2000)

  • Inventor tries to sell house online (9/11/2000) [local copy - original cannot be found]

  • Inventor tells some more of the story of Eternity (12/11/2000) [The Times is now a subscription service. To find this article from the Times archives, try searching for the keywords: monckton derbyshire ertl sportsman million]

  • The inventor parts with his house (22/6/2001)





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