Dear Questors,

Congratulations Chris!!

We were able to spend a little time with Chris Cunningham over the phone to find out what his experience has been solving Chapter 5. Have a listen to Ron and Chris’ conversation.

As Ron says in the video, the Houston hunt is being planned for October of this year.  It’s just too hot to go to Houston any time sooner! We will keep you posted as we get closer to that time.

And here is Chris’ take on how to solve Chapter 5 – and, of course, the solution.

Solving Chapter 5

While the solution now seems logical and straightforward, it actually took me quite some time to wrap my head around this one. By consistently rereading and reinterpreting the clues, I was finally able to piece it together.

As with Chapter 4, the winning sequence is found in the question section at the end of the chapter.

To find the first 10 digits, start at the beginning of Question 3 and subtract 5 from each number. Duplicates, and zero or negative results are discarded.

The second half of the solution is found using Question 12. Start at the end of the decoded question and work backwards. Convert all of the letters to numbers and add 5 to each one. Make sure to discard any results that are over 20(T) and under 26 (Z), but for any number greater than 26 (Z) begin again at 1(A), I.e. 29 becomes 3 (C).

The correct key order is:

15,03,13,18,10,17,20,07,02,08,14,01,19,11,06,12,04,09,16,05

Here are a handful of clues that lead me to the answer:

“the chapter number will play a critical role” (5 is important)
“Riddle me this and riddle me that” (Use the chapter questions)
“not the things that you can see but the things that you can’t see which will make the difference” (Use the decoded questions)
“+1-1=0 +2-2=0. Follow the logical sequence” (Use -5 and +5)
“The simplest backward -forward algorithm could help make you a real treasure hunter on this one” (-5 then +5)
“The senior brother is 10 years older than the junior” (The difference between -5 and +5 is 10)
“you will have to do less to start” ((Use -5 for the first half)
“pour more on to get to the finish” (Use +5 for the second half)
“If the east is least and west is best keep this in mind when tracking the sun as it sets on the prize.” (Start forward -5 then backwards +5)
“the “Filthy 13″ may be able to help you” (The Dirty Dozen – Use Question 12)
“The sum of what you are looking for adds up to 15″ (Question 3 and Question 12)
“zero or less make sure not to use it.” (Discard results that are zero or less)
“the number you find is too high – do not use it in order to make this solution fly” (Don’t use letters over T/20)
“If it’s under “A” throw it away, if it’s greater that “Z” use what’s over.” (Fairly self explanatory)

Chris Cunningham

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Congratulations Chris!!