The Three Clocks.
On Friday, April 1, 1898, three new clocks were all set going precisely
at the same time--twelve noon. At noon on the following day it was found
that clock A had kept perfect time, that clock B had gained exact...
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The Five Crescents Of Byzantium.
When Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, found himself
confronted with great difficulties in the siege of Byzantium, he set his
men to undermine the walls. His desires, however, miscarried, fo...
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A Chain Puzzle.
This is a puzzle based on a pretty little idea first dealt with by the
late Mr. Sam Loyd. A man had nine pieces of chain, as shown in the
illustration. He wanted to join these fifty links into one endless
chain...
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Counter Crosses.
All that we need for this puzzle is nine counters, numbered 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. It will be seen that in the illustration A these are
arranged so as to form a Greek cross, while in the case of B they ...
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A Queer Coincidence.
Seven men, whose names were Adams, Baker, Carter, Dobson, Edwards,
Francis, and Gudgeon, were recently engaged in play. The name of the
particular game is of no consequence. They had agreed that whenever a
play...
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The Wrong Hats.
"One of the most perplexing things I have come across lately," said Mr.
Wilson, "is this. Eight men had been dining not wisely but too well at a
certain London restaurant. They were the last to leave, but not o...
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Wilson's Poser.
"Speaking of perplexities--" said Mr. Wilson, throwing down a magazine
on the table in the commercial room of the Railway Hotel.
"Who was speaking of perplexities?" inquired Mr. Stubbs.
"Well, then, reading abo...
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An Amazing Dilemma.
In a game of chess between Mr. Black and Mr. White, Black was in
difficulties, and as usual was obliged to catch a train. So he proposed
that White should complete the game in his absence on condition that no
m...
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The Cross Of Cards.
In this case we use only nine cards--the ace to nine of diamonds. The
puzzle is to arrange them in the form of a cross, exactly in the way
shown in the illustration, so that the pips in the vertical bar and in
...
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A Wonderful Village.
There is a certain village in Japan, situated in a very low valley, and
yet the sun is nearer to the inhabitants every noon, by 3,000 miles and
upwards, than when he either rises or sets to these people. In wha...
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The Miners' Holiday.
Seven coal-miners took a holiday at the seaside during a big strike. Six
of the party spent exactly half a sovereign each, but Bill Harris was
more extravagant. Bill spent three shillings more than the average ...
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The Seven Pigs.
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The Crusader.
The following is a prize puzzle propounded by me some years ago. Produce
a game of chess which, after sixteen moves, shall leave White with all
his sixteen men on their original squares and Black in possession ...
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The Two Trains.
I put this little question to a stationmaster, and his correct answer
was so prompt that I am convinced there is no necessity to seek talented
railway officials in America or elsewhere.
Two trains start at the ...
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The Broken Chessboard
There is a story of Prince Henry, son of William the Conqueror, afterwards Henry I., that is so frequently recorded in the old chronicles that it is doubtless authentic. The following version of the incid...
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The Three Sheep.
A farmer had three sheep and an arrangement of sixteen pens, divided off
by hurdles in the manner indicated in the illustration. In how many
different ways could he place those sheep, each in a separate pen, so...
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The Amazons.
This puzzle is based on one by Captain Turton. Remove three of the
queens to other squares so that there shall be eleven squares on the
board that are not attacked. The removal of the three queens need not be
b...
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Romeo's Second Journey
"It was a sheer stroke of luck on your part, Hawkhurst," he added. "Here is a much easier puzzle, because it is capable of more systematic analysis; yet it may just happen that you will not...
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The Junior Clerk's Puzzle.
Two youths, bearing the pleasant names of Moggs and Snoggs, were
employed as junior clerks by a merchant in Mincing Lane. They were both
engaged at the same salary--that is, commencing at the rate of L50 a
year...
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The Reve's Puzzle
The Reve was a wily man and something of a scholar. As Chaucer tells us, "There was no auditor could of ...
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