I wrote an exhaustive search script with the following Python code: ```python def solve(data, n=6): # Who's turn? A=0,B=1,C=2 i = (n - 1) % len(data) return { x for x in { # the new hat configuration, subbing in # this round's candidates into the existing # hat configuration. (*data[:i], x, *data[i + 1 :]) for x in { a + x * b for aa, a in enumerate(data) if aa != i for bb, b in enumerate(data) if bb != i and bb != aa for x in (-1, 1) } # must be valid hat number if x > 0 } # recursion termination condition if n == 1 or # All previous rounds must not have produced a single candidate all(len(solve(x, n - j)) == 2 for j in range(1, n)) } v = 144 for i in range(10000): for data in ((i, v - i, v), (i, v + i, v), (i, i - v, v)): s = solve(data) if all(x >= 1 for x in data) and len(s) == 1 and next(iter(s))[-1] == v: print(data) ``` It returns the following answers: ``` 32 112 36 108 54 90 64 80 108 36 ``` So note there are multiple potential answers, not just one. # How it works ## The spirit Every round, the current guesser needs to decide between two potential candidate-answers for themselves: `a + b` or `|a - b|`. If only one of the candidates is valid (i.e, positive integer), then the player can answer immediately with the only remaining candidate. Otherwise, the current guesser must recall all prior rounds, and simulate the conclusions drawn by the previous players on their turns (including themselves from 3 rounds ago!!!). This is akin to a tree search, where a leaf node is pruned if a prior round *would have* deemed that candidate impossible. In turn, the player would then deduce that that entire half of the search tree is invalid, and must conclude that the other candidate is the valid one. If no leaf-pruning is possible across all rounds, then the player cannot determine their number and must pass. ## The code The code assumes we are on round 6 for person C. Exhaustive search of candidate (A,B,C) pairs are passed to a validator `solve` function, which returns all potential valid hats assuming `n` rounds have elapsed, and all previous rounds have produced "I don't know" answers. Then we simply select candidates which returned only a single candidate.