Show HN: Slide the daily word into the bottom row or: Caesar's 20-puzzle

(I recommend to read the instructions before starting.)

Almost solved it in the first try. I needed just 3 more moves.

Backward alphabet is too difficult. You should a add a copy of the alphabet to make it easier.

It would be nice to be able to drag a letter a few slots instead of one.

Perhaps if I undo one move, forgive it and cancel the +2 increase of the count. (I don't like the idea of allowing many undos at once. Only one to forgive mistakes.)

35/50 moves

Got it in 28 moves. It's quite interesting how your brain seemingly goes from "that's impossible" to finding an "algorithm" to it.

One insight is — characters remain the same when they move into a diagonal position. So if you want F, e.g., look for Fs on the diagonal, or Es 1 unit dist. Left/above from the diagonal or Gs 1 unit dist. To the right, etc.

I already want to write some codes to solve this perfect hard-level(LeetCode) algo problem.

Let me know if you find some reasonably fast sub-optimal algorithm, I'd be interested in trying it.

There seems to be some literature on the complexity this kind of sliding puzzles, like https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S03043....