30th International Congress of Actuaries

Congratulations to the puzzle winner Jan Buschardt for correctly solving the ICA 2014 Sudoku! Selected at random from the pool of correct entries, Jan combined clue answers with traditional Sudoku methods to correctly provide the puzzle's hidden phrase: March2014. As the winner of the puzzle, Jan will be awarded a $250 American Express gift card.

Download Puzzle to try your hand at the sudoku.

View the Puzzle's Solution.

ICA 2014 will be held exactly four years from now. The dates (30 March to 4 April 2010) were chosen to coincide with one of the most beautiful times of the year in Washington, D.C. – springtime. This is when the cherry blossom trees that line the Potomac River are in full bloom. The National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates springtime in Washington, D.C. as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry trees from Japan.

The 2010 Cherry Blossom Festival is underway, and anticipation is building for the forecasted peak bloom dates of April 1-2. Visit the Festival web site to learn more.

The Washington Post web site also has a lot of useful information and beautiful pictures from the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Download Puzzle

In order to complete this Sudoku puzzle, you'll first need to solve some or all of the ten clues listed below the diagram. The answers to the clues employ only nine different characters, which will be entered into the diagram according to the grid markings shown. Most Sudokus employ the numerals 1 through 9. This one uses 4 numerals (0, 1, 2, and 4) and five letters (A, C, H, M, and R). The clues will only yield 31 of the diagram's 81 squares. The remainder must be completed using ordinary Sudoku logic: each of the nine characters will appear once per row, once per column, and once per outlined 3x3 box. None of the clue answers will be entered into the middle row, row e. When the diagram is properly completed, however, this row will provide pertinent information regarding the next International Congress of Actuaries, which will be held in Washington, D.C.

Entry Rules

The phrase in row e is the solution to the puzzle. Solutions are due by 31 March 2010. Of the correct entries, one will be selected at random to receive a $250 American Express gift card. The correct answers for the entire puzzle will be posted online in early April. Submit Your Solution

See all that ICA 2014 and Washington D.C. have to offer. This video, released by the International Congress of Actuaries, outlines information on ICA 2014 as well as providing information on a variety of activities in the D.C. area.

The ICA 2014 Organizing Committee has officially launched the ICA 2014 web site. The web site, www.ica2014.org, provides the latest information about ICA 2014, as well as information about cultural, historical, and recreational activities in Washington, D.C and beyond. Visitors can sign up to receive announcements about the meeting, subscribe to the RSS feed, and share information with friends and colleague via social networking web sites.

The web site also features a Sudoku puzzle. Solvers can use a series of clues combined with Sudoku logic to find the puzzle’s answer. Correct puzzle solutions submitted before 31 March 2010 will be entered to win a $250 American Express gift card.

The 30th International Congress of Actuaries will be held 30 March to 4 April 2014 in Washington, D.C. Meeting attendees will learn about the latest ideas, interact with their fellow actuaries through the educational and social events, and grow, as they learn from and network with actuaries from countries and cultures around the world. More information on the Congress will be available as the date nears.