Archimedes Award 2018: Megistian Aenigma Agon





The 2nd Annual Megistian Aenigma Agon puzzle competition was held on the Greek island of Kastellorizo, September 1-3, 2018, organized by Pantazis Houlis, an internationally well-known Greek puzzle designer and collector. The 1st Megistian Aenigma Agon was a Triple International Puzzle Competition (Interaction, Inscription/Illusion and Invention). It split into a Quadruple Competition starting with 2018 (Interaction, Inscription, Illusion and Invention).

The word Megistian comes from one of the island's names (Megisti), Aenigma means puzzle, and Agon stands for competition (agony?). It is a celebration of toys and word-games for children from 0 to 150 years old, presenting to the world Greece's leading role in puzzles. Our winning entry was our splendid, seductive, and often difficult Ochominoes puzzle in the logical category.

The award was printed like a palimpsest, a twice-used parchment of great antiquity with earlier writings obscured underneath later inscriptions, like the famous Archimedes palimpsest. A beautiful gold-like medallion, the Golden Boucla, was included as a trophy with the award.

Other events included puzzle lectures, exhibitions of ancient Greek mechanisms, and the annual KEC (rare and new puzzle exhibition). For more details, see the Kastellorizo website.

You can see more here about the Megistian competition and list of the winners.

Kastellorizo (also known as Megisti) is a small but beautiful island with some enormously rich history, and a population of 300 inhabitants. The island also has a big puzzle history. For example, the Kastellorizo Museum has a puzzle magazine from the 19th century. And the Greeks rightly claim ancestry for Archimedes' Square, the Stomachion (or Ostomachion), which Kadon features with our own added original research results.




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