How Chainle Scoring Works
On puzzle 65 I watched the weak link decide the round. Badge sat close to medal (similarity about 0.48) and far from post (about 0.10) and scored 732, “Three links short,” rank 110 of 31,641. Emblem’s similarity to post was 0, so the round scored 0 and rank 11,724. Pin was less magnetic to medal than badge was, about 0.24 and 0.22, and still filled 8 of 8 links for 1,000. The harmonic mean is not a slogan after you see that.
How scoring works
The FAQ says each word is stored as 300 numbers. Your guess is compared with every clue. The comparison is drawn as eight links. Points use a harmonic mean, so the worst clue pulls harder than the best one. Some credit is set by hand. The site does not publish the equation that turns links into the 0–1,000 number. I will not invent one.
A three-word bridge gives the weakest clue a head start. Two strong clues can still leave you near 500 if the third is thin. Closest connection has a single clue, so there is no second chain to rescue a vague word.
Score examples from the FAQ
These numbers are the FAQ’s, not from my October 23 game. Pizza and pasta: cheese 993, oven 873, delivery 356 because pizza kept six links and pasta only two, car 170. Bank, flow, and bridge: river is the strong middle, money scores 575. Sauce, noodle, and tomato can all score 1,000 between pizza and pasta.
What I try before I type
I look for a concrete noun that could sit in a sentence with every clue, not a category word that only matches one. If a clue feels like the odd one out, I aim at that clue first. I avoid names, plurals, and a second spelling of a clue. On a learning day I leave “show best link” on, read why the chain broke, then use the archive page here to revisit the clues without refreshing the live board.
Questions
What is a perfect Chainle score?
1,000 in a round and 5,000 on the day, which the result page calls “Every link held.”
Can two words both score 1,000?
Yes. The FAQ uses sauce, noodle, and tomato on pizza and pasta. The archive still publishes only one strongest link.
Is the formula public?
No. The FAQ describes 300 numbers, eight links, a harmonic mean, a head start on the weakest three-word clue, and some hand-set credit. It does not give the arithmetic.
Sources
Checked 2026-10-29. Quotes are short; the pages below are the record.