 | I keep presenting Local and Huge cloud models with the same challenge: "Two paratroopers land on an infinite 1D numeric axis at distinct, unknown integer coordinates. They both execute the exact same deterministic program. They have no internal memory/registers and operate in synchronized discrete time steps. They both drop parachute at landing point. Using only commands STEP LEFT, STEP RIGHT, GOTO, IF PARACHUTE_DETECTED GOTO design a program that guarantees they will eventually occupy the same coordinate at the same time." For cloud models you have to add "Do not use tools, do not use Internet for search" (otherwise they just find the answer). I am super impressed with Qwen3.6 35B - this is the first local model (after Gemini 3.1) that actually solved it and reasoned correctly. (And a lot of large models fail too). If you find other models doing OK on this test, please let me know. [link] [comments] |
Qwen3.6 35B: paratroopers puzzle
Reddit r/LocalLLaMA / 4/18/2026
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Key Points
- A posted puzzle challenges two identical, memoryless paratroopers on an infinite 1D integer line to devise a deterministic program that guarantees they will meet at the same coordinate and time, using only limited commands (STEP LEFT/RIGHT, GOTO, and a conditional on parachute detection).
- The author notes that larger cloud models typically solve it trivially unless restricted from using tools or internet search, suggesting the core difficulty is genuine reasoning and strategy design.
- The post claims Qwen3.6 35B is the first local model (after Gemini 3.1) that both solved the puzzle and reasoned correctly, while many other large models fail.
- The author invites readers to share other models that perform well on the same test, implying an ongoing benchmark-style evaluation.
- Overall, the discussion highlights a specific reasoning/algorithmic capability test for LLMs rather than a general conversational performance metric.
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