March Photo Game featured a winter photograph and asked two questions:
- Who is the photographer?
- At what address was the photo taken?
Correct answers:
- Dmitri Prants
- The photographer was standing in Tallinn, in front of the building at Kiriku plats 3/1.
Google coordinates: 59.436727, 24.738884
How to solve it
The first question is a warm-up and can be solved with a standard image search. Google Images shows that the photo has recently circulated widely on Estonian social media and leads to a link in the National Archives, where you can find information about Dmitri Prants and the publication date of the photo titled “We’ll Meet Again Tomorrow!”
The second question is more challenging. None of the social media posts provide the address. Based on the time the photo was taken and the photographer’s background, it’s reasonable to assume the shot was taken in Tallinn. Of course, it could theoretically be another old town abroad or elsewhere in Estonia, but that hypothesis only makes sense if the Tallinn assumption leads nowhere.
Turning to AI tools does provide some clues, but unfortunately the information about the exact address is incomplete or outright wrong. Free versions of these tools aren’t yet capable of precisely answering a question like: “Where exactly is this building in Tallinn’s Old Town?”
Examples of responses:
- Grok does not give an address:
It suggests the photo (archive reference ERA.R-1950.1.62.109.1, author Dmitri Prants, approx. 1958–1959) was likely taken in a small courtyard or gateway in Tallinn’s Old Town, featuring a typical medieval arched entrance. The scene shows a couple in a snowy narrow street or courtyard with worn plaster walls and a roofline under snow. - Claude points to the wrong area:
It identifies medieval Old Town architecture and speculates locations such as Katariina Passage, Olevimäe/Lai Street, or Suur-Kloostri Street. - Google Gemini offers a specific but incorrect address:
It suggests Lühike jalg 9 courtyard. - ChatGPT narrows it down but still guesses incorrectly:
It describes a typical narrow courtyard passage in Old Town Tallinn and suggests areas like Lühike jalg, Pikk jalg, Rataskaevu, or Niguliste.
How to actually find the correct answer
To get the right answer, you need to explore the Old Town yourself — either physically or virtually using Google Street View. The building in the background, at Kiriku plats 3, is the Consistory. The arched courtyard entrance in front of which the photographer stood belongs to the property at Kiriku plats 3/1.
The decisive clues are the placement of the window openings and the decorative wooden roof details.
You can find previous similar tasks by searching for the keyword “Picture game” or in the section of the same name.
