See the boxes and the numbers given below:

                        +---+---+---+---+                          
                        |   |   |   |   |    1937 3684 1981 4759 6491
+---+---+---+---+       +---+---+---+---+    5753 9108 0784 6737 1645
|   |   |   |   |       |   |       |   |    0093 4628 5998 4748 2896 
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+       +---+    1388 4769 3266 1919 1499
    |   |   |   |   |   |   |       |   |    7572 9598 2376 5879 7891 
    +---+   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+    2648 8472 1763 8473 1618 
    |   |   |   |       |   |   |   |   |    4784 1683 9184 8176 2637
    +---+---+---+---+   +---+---+---+---+    0134 2773 1839 3711 3674 
    |   |   |   |   |       |   |            4782 1687 4573 1679 4723 
    +---+---+---+---+       +---+            4623 5743 2648 1894 1679
                |   |       |   |            4897 4734 9914 7598 7238
                +---+---+---+---+            1734 4789 3716 1562 1847 
                |   |   |   |   |
                +---+---+---+---+
                |   |
                +---+

Fill in the boxes with 12 numbers chosen from the list, one digit per box. The given numbers can be written from left to right, right to left, up, or down. And you canīt use a number more than once (unless it's listed twice). When all the boxes are filled, sum up all digits in the boxes (not the numbers that you used). This is YOUR score.

Whatīs the maximum score YOU can achieve?

Note: this meant to be a contest among users so, to make it fair, avoid using a computer. We are not asking for the maximum score that can be obtained, we are asking for the maximum score that YOU can achieve. And you may post YOUR SCORE in the subject of your comment. The winner (after a reasonable time) will gain an apple (the fruit, not Steve Jobsī).

Here the 4-digit numbers are listed in descending order of the total of their digits, showing also that total. Even using this, my computer program (which is disallowed anyway), was taking forever to run, and when stopped had only gotten as high as 233. 

5998 31
9598 31
5879 29
7598 29
4897 28
4789 28
4769 26
4759 25
2896 25
7891 25
6737 23
4748 23
1499 23
4784 23
1679 23
1679 23
9914 23
8473 22
9184 22
8176 22
1687 22
1894 22
3684 21
7572 21
8472 21
1839 21
4782 21
1937 20
6491 20
5753 20
4628 20
1388 20
1919 20
2648 20
3674 20
2648 20
7238 20
1847 20
1981 19
0784 19
2773 19
4573 19
5743 19
9108 18
2376 18
1683 18
2637 18
4734 18
3266 17
1763 17
3716 17
1645 16
1618 16
4723 16
4623 15
1734 15
1562 14
0093 12
3711 12
0134  8

 

Posted by Charlie on 2005-10-31 10:57:54