SMJK Chung Hwa Confucian won the Puzzler’s Challenge this year with two of their teams getting first and second position edging out last year’s champions, SMJK Perempuan Cina Pulau Pinang. The all-girl team of SMJK Perempuan Cina Pulau Pinang however managed to hold on to a respectable third placing.
Getting to the final top three was no mean feat as they were battling other teams from secondary schools from all over Penang for four hours.
The competition attracted some 77 enthusiastic teams comprising two students per team ranging between 14 to 18 years old. Some were even accompanied by their tireless teachers!
Each team was given seven maths and science puzzles to solve within a time frame. For instance, students were asked to figure out how to deflect flowing water from a tap without touching or blowing at the water within 15 minutes.
In its 6th consecutive year now, the state-wide Puzzler’s Challenge event was held at Kompleks Masyarakat Penyayang on 20 January. Organized by the Malaysian Mensa Penang branch, the Puzzler’s Challenge is supported by the Penang Chief Minister’s office and the State Education Department.
Jay Menon, puzzle master as well as chairman of the Malaysian Mensa, explained how the answers were derived before announcing the top 10 winning teams. The prizes were given away by Cecilia Yew, chairman for the Malaysian Mensa Penang branch. Every student went home with a participation certificate.
The Malaysian Mensa Penang Branch has been organizing the Puzzler’s Challenge for 6 years now and each year attracts more teams than the year before. This year’s overwhelming response demonstrates that there is major interest in fun, intellectual competitions of this calibre.
In this competition, students can put on their thinking caps and use the scientific and mathematical principles and theories they’ve learnt in school. The competition challenges students to think in new ways as they try to solve these math and science puzzles.
The Malaysian Mensa Penang branch organizes these activities to foster intelligence in society.
As a non-profit organization, it welcomes financial support as well as other forms of support from corporate sponsors for next year’s competition.
For more details on this event, contact Jay Menon at 012- 420 1364.
Check out photos of this year’s event at our Facebook page. (Thanks to Linus Loo and Teoh Tiong Hong for being photographers of the day).