Maze

Mazes are one of the oldest and most widespread games, combining logic, spatial reasoning, and an element of chance. Throughout history, people have created mazes for a variety of purposes, from entertainment to punishment, and even as symbolic representations.

History of Mazes

The first mazes date back to ancient times. One of the earliest examples is the famous Egyptian Labyrinth, located near Lake Moeris (present-day Qarun Lake) near Hawara. Dating back to around 2300 BC, this massive structure covered approximately 70,000 square meters and contained at least 1,500 rooms, some above ground and some below, many serving as tombs. The Egyptian Labyrinth was said to be shrouded in darkness, with doors that creaked open to produce eerie and frightening sounds. This labyrinth was dedicated to the god Sobek, the god of water and the Nile River's flooding, often depicted as a crocodile in Egyptian mythology.

Another historically significant maze is the Labyrinth of Knossos. According to Greek mythology, it was here, on the island of Crete, that the fearsome Minotaur, a monster with the head of a bull, resided. Legend has it that young boys and girls were offered as sacrifices to the Minotaur. Theseus, aided by a ball of thread given to him by his beloved Ariadne, was the first to successfully navigate the labyrinth and defeat the Minotaur. This thread, meant to guide Theseus back out, gave rise to the term "Ariadne's thread," a metaphor for finding a way out of a difficult or confusing situation.

Some researchers even suggest the existence of mazes on Mars. Indeed, certain images from space stations reveal terrain features that resemble mazes in their configurations.

Modern mazes have largely lost the spiritual significance attributed to them in the distant past, becoming a common and beloved pastime.

Mazes were revived as video games in 1982 with the release of Entombed for the popular Atari 2600 game console. The game was developed by Paul Allen Newell and Duncan Muirhead.

Today, countless interpretations of the maze game can be found across a multitude of platforms and operating systems, from computers and smartphones to tablets. Popular characters from movies, cartoons, and other games often serve as the heroes in these games, navigating complex pathways.

The objective in a maze game remains consistent: find the path to the exit, retrieve a valuable item, or rescue another character by guiding them to safety.

Fun Facts

The Longleat Hedge Maze is the longest hedge maze in the world. Located in the UK, it's composed of approximately 16,000 yew trees and boasts pathways stretching over three kilometers.
The largest maze by area (4 hectares) is the Reignac-sur-Indre maze in France.
There's a superstition that children under seven and adults over seventy shouldn't enter mazes, as navigating them is believed to steal their souls.
In ancient Rome, mazes were used to punish delinquent youths who were left inside overnight. If the youth found their way out, they were pardoned. Otherwise, they risked being torn apart by the wild beasts that often roamed these mazes.
Approximately 30 mazes have been discovered on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea, Russia. Over a thousand ancient burial mounds and peculiar stone patterns also exist there. The area is considered one of the most mysterious places on Earth, as animals avoid it, and plants and trees planted there wither and die.
In China, evil spirits are believed to only move in straight lines. Therefore, houses with winding, maze-like corridors were believed to prevent evil forces from entering.
A popular theory among some suggests that one of the Egyptian pyramids conceals a maze, left as a legacy to humanity by representatives of an ancient civilization. This maze is purported to be an energy portal capable of transporting people through time.

While interest in many games popular with our ancestors has waned, the classic maze remains an excellent basis for numerous modern games.

Mazes in our time are undergoing significant transformations. What remains unchanged is the enduring appeal of this simple yet effective brain-training game across generations of players.

Navigating a maze has long been considered a challenging task, one where logic alone often isn't enough. There's always an element of luck involved—choosing the right path at a junction can often determine success or failure.

However, relying solely on luck to escape a maze isn't a sound strategy, as the unfortunate souls lost in the mythical Labyrinth of the Minotaur would attest.

This realization led to the development of specific rules and methods to navigate mazes successfully.

Maze Solving Methods

Solving a maze is essentially a problem of finding a path through a complex network of corridors. Just like any problem, there are methods to help find a solution. Two of the most effective techniques are the "Wall Follower" method and the Trémaux algorithm.

Wall Follower (or Right/Left-Hand Rule)

This method is particularly effective in simply connected mazes, meaning mazes where all walls are connected to each other and there are no loops or isolated sections. Keep in mind that if the start and end points are in the center of the maze, this method might not work.

Here's how the Wall Follower method works:

Upon entering the maze, place your hand (right or left, it's your choice) on one of the walls.
Continue moving through the maze, always keeping your hand in contact with the wall.
Keep following the wall until you reach the exit.

It's crucial to remember that this method won't work if you encounter a wall mid-way through the maze and decide to start following it then. You risk encountering an isolated wall section and getting stuck in a loop. In such cases, mark your starting point somehow. If you return to it, switch to a different wall you haven't followed yet.

Trémaux Algorithm

This algorithm offers a more general approach to maze solving. Unlike the Wall Follower method, it can be applied to any type of maze, no matter how complex. French mathematician Édouard Lucas detailed this algorithm in his book Récréations Mathématiques, first published in 1882.

Édouard Lucas based his work on the research of fellow French mathematician Charles Pierre Trémaux. The resulting maze-solving method, combining the contributions of both mathematicians, became known as the Trémaux algorithm.

Here's how the Trémaux algorithm works:

Mark your starting point upon entering the maze; for instance, draw a cross.
Move in any direction until you reach a junction or a dead end.
At a junction, mark the path you choose with a single cross and continue. If you return to this junction again, the cross indicates a path you've already taken without success. Choose a different path, leaving it unmarked.
At a dead end, turn back and mark the path with a second cross, indicating you've traversed it twice. Then, choose a different path.
By consistently following these rules as you navigate the maze corridors, you're guaranteed to find the exit eventually.

Congratulations!

You are done.

You Moved 70 Steps.

Maze

Play Maze Online

History of Mazes

Fun Facts

Maze

Maze Solving Methods

Wall Follower (or Right/Left-Hand Rule)

Trémaux Algorithm

Congratulations!