IF YOU'D rather prove your strength by flexing your brain rather than your body, your team sport is now accepting applicants: the Google U.S. Puzzle Championship. Those endless nights spent on line finishing IQ tests and puzzle solving are about to pay off. On Saturday, June 14, at 1pm EDT, the test of a lifetime will be online for all registered participants; it can be done anywhere with an Internet connection and a printer. But for the next 2 1/2 hours there is no outside help or any other unapproved tools. Scissors, colored pens or pencils, or scratch paper are allowed, and are almost essential to finish as quickly as possible. The test is designed to be resolved on paper, so printing is recommended. The value in points of each problem is directly proportional to the difficulty. Take, for instance, the puzzle above-not only are there 10 differences in the two pictures, but one of the pictures is backward. The purpose of these mental workouts is to find the top U.S. contestant to participate as a member of the U.S. Puzzle Team at the World Puzzle Championship in Vilnius, Lithuania, in October. The first 25 contestants will also receive prizes.

For more information and a practice test to see if you have the mettle to succeed, go to wpc.puzzles.com.

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