Games - Des chiffres et des lettres

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Des chiffres et des lettres (literally meaning "Of numbers and letters" or "Some numbers and some letters") is a French television programme. It was created by Armand Jammot and tests the numeracy skills and vocabulary of two contestants.

The game is broadcast on France 2 and is currently presented by Laurent Romejko, Arielle Boulin-Prat and Bertrand Renard (the latter two check the existence of the words proposed by the contestants; renard also provides solutions to number problems that the contestants have failed to find). The show is also seen throughout the world on TV5.

Rules

Two contestants play against one another.

As the title of the game indicates, it is based on two skills: numeracy rounds, and rounds in which the aim is to find the longest word from a selection of letters.

In the television version, there are also "duels". These are speed problems for which only the first player to provide the correct answer receives points. Both contestants may receive points in solving the other problems.

The winner of a match is the first player to win two innings (manches) or to win an inning by 40 points or more.

An inning or innings consists of an entire show's play. Each inning comprises 14 problems presented in five rounds. The first, second, fourth, and fifth rounds consist of one number problem followed by two letter problems. The third round consists of two duels. If the players are tied at the end of the program a speed question is used to break the tie.

Le compte est bon

The goal of this round is to get a chosen number (from 101 to 999) using elementary functions (+,−,×,÷) applied to six numbers chosen randomly from the following alternatives: 1 to 10, 25, 50, 75, 100 (each number is drawn from the entire set, so the same number may appear more than once). Once these six numbers are selected a three-digit target number is selected. The players combine the numbers arithmetically with the goal of producing the target number. The contestants may use each of the six numbers originally selected once, and the result of each operation performed with them once – for example, if a contestant multiplies 4 by 25 to obtain 100, he or she may no longer use the 4 or 25, but may use the 100 in further calculations.

Example

:Numbers given : 3, 100, 8, 8, 10, 6 :Result to be given : 680

::6 × 100 = 600 ::8 × 10 = 80 ::600 + 80 = 680

Contestants signal that they have obtained the target number by saying Le compte est bon (the sum is right). Nine points are awarded to each contestant who arrives at the target number exactly. If neither contestant obtains the target number, the contestant or contestants with the result nearest the target number receive six points each.

Le mot le plus long

In this round, contestants are presented with 9 randomly selected letters. Contestants take turns specifying whether the next letter to be selected will be a vowel or a consonant. Specific letters may be selected multiple times.

The goal is to find the longest word using the available letters. The contestant or contestants with the longest word score the number of letters in the word. If a contestant claims a longer word which is not in the programme's dictionaries, his or her word is rejected, but his or her opponent may score the number of letters originally claimed with a shorter word. For example, if a contestant produces a nine-letter word which is rejected, and his or her opponent produces an acceptable but shorter word, the opponent scores 9 points.

Example

With the following letters:

:T O C E D A M I T

it is possible to get the French words Dictat and Amodie.

With the following letters:

:R U R E T E C E R

it is possible to get the French words recruter and erecteur.

Duels

There are several variations of the "duel" section:

the classic version, which consists of finding two words on the same theme after 9 letters have been given,
"l'un dans l'autre" ("one within the other"): with nine given letters, find a nine-letter word and another word, within the first; one a proper noun, the other a common noun.
"la bonne orthographe" ("good spelling"): a word is proposed and the winner is the one who spells this word correctly first,
le calcul mental ("mental arithmetic"): one must complete a calculation (24*(32-5(42.... in one's head.

Only one answer is accepted, from the first player to provide one. If the answer is correct, five points are awarded to the player giving it. If the answer is incorrect, the player's opponent receives three points.

UK version

:Main article: Countdown (game show)

The United Kingdom TV show Countdown
is a close adaptation of the same format. The main differences are that the rounds last only 30 seconds instead of 45; only one contestant chooses the letters in each round; and the "duel" is replaced with the "Countdown Conundrum", a nine-letter anagram.

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