Verified solution
The shortest route from HALO
HALOHALLPALLPOLLPOOLPOOP
- 01HALO → HALL4th letter, O to L
- 02HALL → PALL1st letter, H to P
- 03PALL → POLL2nd letter, A to O
- 04POLL → POOL3rd letter, L to O
- 05POOL → POOP4th letter, L to P
First moves
What happens after the opening word?
HALO has 4 legal one-letter moves. These are the best routes after move one:
HALL4 leftHALT4 leftHALE5 leftHALF5 left
Answer notes
Why there can be more than one answer.
This opening has 2 distinct paths at the minimum length of 5. The route shown above is one complete answer, not the only valid sequence. Any route reaching POOP in 5 moves is equally short.
Calculate a route from a different word →