The Forsaken King.
Set up the position shown in the diagram. Then the condition of the
puzzle is--White to play and checkmate in six moves. Notwithstanding the
complexities, I will show how the manner of play may be condensed int...
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Drawing A Spiral.
If you hold the page horizontally and give it a quick rotary motion
while looking at the centre of the spiral, it will appear to revolve.
Perhaps a good many readers are acquainted with this little optical
illu...
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The Chinese Railways
Our illustration shows the plan of a Chinese city protected by pentagonal fortifications. Five European Powers ...
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The Four Frogs.
In the illustration we have eight toadstools, with white frogs on 1 and
3 and black frogs on 6 and 8. The puzzle is to move one frog at a time,
in any order, along one of the straight lines from toadstool to
to...
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A Charitable Bequest.
A man left instructions to his executors to distribute once a year
exactly fifty-five shillings among the poor of his parish; but they were
only to continue the gift so long as they could make it in different
w...
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The Sailor's Puzzle.
The sailor depicted in the illustration stated that he had since his
boyhood been engaged in trading with a small vessel among some twenty
little islands in the Pacific. He supplied the rough chart of which I
h...
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The Gardener And The Cook.
A correspondent, signing himself "Simple Simon," suggested that I should
give a special catch puzzle in the issue of _The Weekly Dispatch_ for
All Fools' Day, 1900. So I gave the following, and it caused
consid...
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The Great Scramble.
After dinner, the five boys of a household happened to find a parcel of
sugar-plums. It was quite unexpected loot, and an exciting scramble
ensued, the full details of which I will recount with accuracy, as it
...
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The Motor-car Tour.
In the above diagram the circles represent towns and the lines good
roads. In just how many different ways can a motorist, starting from
London (marked with an L), make a tour of all these towns, visiting
every...
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The Sabbath Puzzle.
I have come across the following little poser in an old book. I wonder
how many readers will see the author's intended solution to the riddle.
Christians the week's _first_ day for Sabbath hold;
The Jew...
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Cutting A Wood Block
An economical carpenter had a block of wood measuring eight inches long by four inches wide by three and three-quarter inches deep. How many pieces, each measuring two and a half inches by one inch and a ...
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The Spanish Miser.
There once lived in a small town in New Castile a noted miser named Don
Manuel Rodriguez. His love of money was only equalled by a strong
passion for arithmetical problems. These puzzles usually dealt in some
w...
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St. George's Banner.
At a celebration of the national festival of St. George's Day I was
contemplating the familiar banner of the patron saint of our country. We
all know the red cross on a white ground, shown in our illustration.
...
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The Riddle Of St Edmondsbury
"It used to be told at St. Edmondsbury," said Father Peter on one occasion, "that many years ago they were so overrun with mice that the good abbot gave orders that all the cats from the co...
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Mrs. Timpkins's Age.
Edwin: "Do you know, when the Timpkinses married eighteen years ago
Timpkins was three times as old as his wife, and to-day he is just twice
as old as she?"
Angelina: "Then how old was Mrs. Timpkins on the wedd...
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The Puzzle Of The Prioress
The Prioress, who went by the name of Eglantine, is best remembered on account of Chaucer's remark, "And French she spake full fair and properly, After the school of Stratford-atté-Bow, For Fr...
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Defective Observation.
Our observation of little things is frequently defective, and our
memories very liable to lapse. A certain judge recently remarked in a
case that he had no recollection whatever of putting the wedding-ring on
h...
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The Cushion Covers.
The above represents a square of brocade. A lady wishes to cut it in
four pieces so that two pieces will form one perfectly square cushion
top, and the remaining two pieces another square cushion top. How is sh...
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Puss In The Corner.
This variation of the last puzzle is also played by two persons. One
puts a counter on No. 6, and the other puts one on No. 55, and they play
alternately by removing the counter to any other number in a line. I...
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The Abbot's Window.
Once upon a time the Lord Abbot of St. Edmondsbury, in consequence of
"devotions too strong for his head," fell sick and was unable to leave
his bed. As he lay awake, tossing his head restlessly from side to si...
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Informational
