In previous segments of MW’s Codes and Ciphers Series, the Polybius Square has appeared. It shows up again in MW Puzzle Fun #19. This puzzle fun demonstrates another way pairs of numbers are hidden. The pairs, once found, can then applied to the same old square to decipher a message. While the cipher method (Polybius Square) is straightforward, it is recognizing and discovering coordinates that can sometimes be tricky.
For those just joining the series, the Polybius Square utilizes a 5X5 Grid filled with letters of the alphabet. One square (usually the I/J) holds two letters together, or one less commonly used letter (like Q or Z) is left out of the grid. The columns and rows are then numbered 1-5. Pairs of numbers can pinpoint a letter within the grid to reveal a message.
How pairs of numbers are hidden within text or images is endless. We’ve seen creators of puzzles hiding them numerous ways. They were hidden in leaf veins in A Treasure’s Trove, and around a Scarecrow’s collar in The Wizard of Oz treasure hunt – shown below.
We’ve also seen them uniquely hidden in The Beacon Star armchair treasure hunt. Within that hunt, pairs were given by the number itself, and how many times it was seen within a section. The letters within the section were then used to order the discoveries. ‘Start at twelve’ was revealed.
In MW Puzzle #19, pairs can be found in the dividing path lines. The column is provided by length of the horizontal line, while the row is found by the vertical length.
So the answer for MW Puzzle #19 was:
GET YOUR QUEST ON!
Each Monday a new MW Puzzle Fun is released. These make a great way to learn more about codes and ciphers. Join the fun on the MW Forum section!