Enclose Horse by the Numbers
Every day, thousands of players submit their answer to the enclose.horse daily puzzle. Every submission is final — no retries, no second chances. That one-shot format means the data we collect tells a real story about how people approach spatial puzzles under pressure.
We pulled the numbers from our database. Here is what they say.
How the medal system works
After submitting, each player receives a medal based on how their enclosed area compares to the mathematically optimal solution for that day's puzzle:
| Medal | Score Range |
|---|---|
| 🏆 Diamond | 100% of optimal — the perfect score |
| 🥇 Gold | 90–99% of optimal |
| 🥈 Silver | 70–89% of optimal |
| 🥉 Bronze | 50–69% of optimal |
| Okay | Below 50% |
What makes a puzzle hard?
Not all puzzles are created equal. Some days, the majority of players score well. Other days, even experienced players struggle. We measure difficulty by the diamond rate — what percentage of players achieve the mathematically optimal score. Here is what tends to make a puzzle difficult:
Grid complexity is the biggest factor. Larger grids with more open space create more possibilities — and more room for suboptimal choices. When the grid is small and tight, there are fewer viable strategies. When it is wide open, players have to make judgment calls about where to build, and wrong guesses cost real points.
Deceptive horse positions also play a role. Some puzzles place the horse in a spot that tempts players into a natural-looking enclosure that turns out to be suboptimal. The obvious answer is not always the best one. Puzzles where the optimal solution requires building away from the horse tend to be the hardest.
Then there are bonus tiles — cherries, golden apples, and bees. When high-value bonus tiles are placed far from the horse, players face a dilemma: play safe with a compact enclosure near the horse, or gamble on a wider shape that captures the bonus? The hardest puzzles make both options look equally viable until you see the scoreboard.
The easiest puzzles
On the other end of the spectrum, some puzzles see much higher diamond rates. These tend to share common traits:
- Small grid with limited options — the optimal path is hard to miss
- Horse positioned near an edge or corner, making edge-hugging strategies natural
- No tricky bonus tiles pulling players in the wrong direction
- Generous wall count relative to grid size
Easy puzzles serve an important purpose. They give newer players a chance to feel the satisfaction of a diamond or gold score, which keeps them coming back for the harder days.
Score distributions tell a story
One of the most interesting things we see in the data is how score distributions change shape depending on the puzzle. On an easy day, the distribution is heavily skewed right — most players score well, with a tall peak near optimal. On a hard day, the distribution spreads out, with players scattered across the full range.
The shape of the score distribution is actually one of our best tools for evaluating puzzle quality. A good puzzle produces a smooth spread with a slight right skew — most players do reasonably well, but there is meaningful separation between average, good, and great answers.
What the numbers teach us about puzzle design
Running a daily puzzle game with real-time feedback from thousands of players is like running a continuous experiment. Every puzzle we publish generates data that informs the next one. Some of our key takeaways:
- The best puzzles have a diamond rate between 5% and 20%. Below 5% feels too punishing. Above 30% means the puzzle was too straightforward.
- Variety in difficulty matters more than consistent difficulty. Players enjoy a mix of easy wins and challenging puzzles across the week.
- The best puzzles have a clear "step function" — there is one key insight that separates gold from diamond, and finding it feels rewarding.
- Score distributions are more useful than average scores for evaluating puzzle quality. A high average with low variance means the puzzle was not interesting enough.
Streaks and consistency
Beyond individual puzzle scores, we track play streaks — consecutive days a player has submitted an answer. The longest streaks belong to players who treat enclose.horse like a daily ritual, often playing at the same time each day. These dedicated players also tend to have higher average scores, which suggests that consistent practice genuinely improves spatial reasoning over time.
Your stats
Every player can see their own medal history by tapping the calendar icon on the homepage. You can track your streak, see your medal counts, and revisit past puzzles you missed. It is the best way to see how your play has improved over time.
And if you are chasing that elusive diamond — keep playing. The data says consistent players get there more often than you might think.