THE LANGUISHING MAIDEN.
(
The Guarded Chessboard)
[Illustration:
--+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
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| Kt |
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+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+
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+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+
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+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+
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+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+
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+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+
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+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+
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| M |
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+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+
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+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+
]
A wicked baron in the good old days imprisoned an innocent maiden in one
of the deepest dungeons beneath the castle moat. It will be seen from
our illustration that there were sixty-three cells in the dungeon, all
connected by open doors, and the maiden was chained in the cell in which
she is shown. Now, a valiant knight, who loved the damsel, succeeded in
rescuing her from the enemy. Having gained an entrance to the dungeon at
the point where he is seen, he succeeded in reaching the maiden after
entering every cell once and only once. Take your pencil and try to
trace out such a route. When you have succeeded, then try to discover a
route in twenty-two straight paths through the cells. It can be done in
this number without entering any cell a second time.
Answer:
The dotted line shows the route in twenty-two straight paths by which
the knight may rescue the maiden. It is necessary, after entering the
first cell, immediately to return before entering another. Otherwise a
solution would not be possible. (See "The Grand Tour," p. 200.)
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