How to do well at Saekki

It is normal to get stuck around seven

The number of separate items a person can hold at once is usually between four and nine. An old study from 1956 measured that range, and it has not been overturned much since. So if you keep missing around seven, it is not a lack of skill. It is that you are memorizing item by item.

16 knots is longer than that range. As long as you count them one by one, you cannot reach it.

Grouping widens the range

The same study said this too: you cannot raise how many items you hold, but you can raise how much fits in each one. Reading a phone number in groups of three digits is exactly this trick.

Here, try chunking in threes. One Two Three, Four One Two, Three Three Four. Then 16 knots stop being sixteen separate items and become five or six groups, which is within what a person can hold.

Turn it into sound, not sight

Each knot has a name. As you watch the lit knot, say it silently out loud, One, Two, Three, and it stays with you longer than following with your eyes alone. Repeating in sound and holding a shape use different parts of your mind.

Rhythm works the same way. As the length grows, the pace speeds up little by little, from 620 milliseconds to 380 milliseconds per knot, and if you hold it as a beat, it does not fall apart when it speeds up.

A miss does not end it, so look at that spot again

When you miss, the round does not end. It shows that length again. In an arcade you would have to put in a coin here, but that does not help you memorize and only makes you put in another, so we did not do it.

However, the score you compare is counted as the length before your first miss. No matter how many times you rewatch, that value does not go up. That way you compare with others on the same yardstick.

The same day is the same rope

There are no random numbers. The day's rope is set by the date, so it does not change when you replay. So if you memorize a spot that was not working today, it stays the same for the rest of today. Everyone who comes in on the same day gets the same rope, so comparing is fair.

We have blocked the same knot from coming three times in a row. When three run together, you miss because your eyes get confused, not your memory, and that is not what this board measures.

Numbers worth knowing to get further

Since this is a memorizing game, knowing the values beats knowing tricks. If you know in advance where it gets hard, you do not fall apart there.

• There are only four knots. There are four places to press, so you only need to remember the order, and your hand will not get confused. The difficulty comes from memory, not from your hand.
• Reaching sixteen ends the day. It does not grow forever, so it is clear how far you got today.
• It gets faster as it gets longer. The time a knot is shown starts at 0.62 seconds and drops to 0.38 seconds. The real difficulty is that the time to look and memorize shrinks toward the end.
• It works without sound. You only watch the order and repeat it, so it is the same in a quiet place.

Frequently asked

Do I start over if I miss?

You redo that length. You do not go back to the start. We left it that way so you can look at the spot you are stuck on several times.

Do you count consecutive days?

No. We say nothing about the days you skipped.

Can I replay yesterday's board?

The past-boards archive opens the last fourteen days.

Does my record go up to a server?

The board and the judging finish inside the browser, and there is no sign-up. But when you finish today's board, your record can be sent to Gwirae Rank (ranks.gwirae.com), and without signing in it appears without a name.