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"I trow there be not one among ye," quoth the Nun, on a later occasion, "that doth not know that many monks do oft pass the time in play at certain games, albeit they be not lawful...
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It will be seen in the illustration that the full set of twenty-eight dominoes is arranged in the form of a square frame, with 6 against 6, 2 against 2, blank against blank, and so...
Four married couples played a "mixed double" tennis tournament, a man and a lady always playing against a man and a lady. But no person ever played with or against any other person...
This puzzle closely resembles the last one, my remarks on the solution of which the reader may like to apply in another case. It was recently submitted to a Sydney evening newspape...
Can you construct a square of sixteen different numbers so that it shall be magic (that is, adding up alike in the four rows, four columns, and two diagonals), whether you turn the...
When I did at last reach the door it was fast closed, and on sliding a panel set before a grating the light that came in thereby showed unto me that my passage was barred by the ki...
One summer day in 1903 I was loitering on the Brighton front, watching the people strolling about on the beach, when the friend who was with me suddenly drew my attention to an ind...
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...
Lady Belinda is an enthusiastic gardener. In the illustration she is depicted in the act of worrying out a pleasant little problem which I will relate. One of her gardens is oblong...
There are some curious facts concerning the movements of wheels that are apt to perplex the novice. For example: when a railway train is travelling from London to Crewe certain par...
The following puzzle will illustrate the importance on occasions of being able to fix the minimum and maximum limits of a required number. This can very frequently be done. For exa...
In the illustration we have a sketch of Sir Edwyn de Tudor going to rescue his lady-love, the fair Isabella, who was held a captive by a neighbouring wicked baron. Sir Edwyn calcul...
Here is a curious mechanical puzzle that was given to me some years ago, but I cannot say who first invented it. It consists of two solid blocks of wood securely dovetailed togethe...
The odd digits, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, add up 25, while the even figures, 2, 4, 6, and 8, only add up 20. Arrange these figures so that the odd ones and the even ones add up alike. Com...
Here is a neat little trick with three dice. I ask you to throw the dice without my seeing them. Then I tell you to multiply the points of the first die by 2 and add 5; then multip...
Place two pawns in the middle of the chessboard, one at Q 4 and the other at K 5. Now, place the remaining fourteen pawns (sixteen in all) so that no three shall be in a straight l...
Our friend in the illustration has a large sheet of zinc, measuring (before cutting) eight feet by three feet, and he has cut out square pieces (all of the same size) from the four...
"I say, Rackbrane, what is the time?" an acquaintance asked our friend the professor the other day. The answer was certainly curious. "If you add one quarter of the time from noon...
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 f...
At the bottom of the Abbey meads was a small fish-pond where the monks used to spend many a contemplative hour with rod and line. One day, when they had had very bad luck and only...
In how many different ways may I place six pawns on the chessboard so that there shall be an even number of unoccupied squares in every row and every column? We are not here consid...
The landowner in the illustration is consulting with his bailiff over a rather puzzling little question. He has a large plan of one of his fields, in which there are eleven trees....
I possess a tetrahedron, or triangular pyramid, formed of six sticks glued together, as shown in the illustration. Can you count correctly the number of different ways in which the...
Here is a new little puzzle that is not difficult, but will probably be found entertaining by my readers. It will be seen that the five dominoes are so arranged in proper sequence...
This puzzle concerns the painting of the four sides of a tetrahedron, or triangular pyramid. If you cut out a piece of cardboard of the triangular shape shown in Fig. 1, and then c...
Place as few bishops as possible on an ordinary chessboard so that every square of the board shall be either occupied or attacked. It will be seen that the rook has more scope than...
The inhabitants of Slocomb-on-Sea were greatly excited over the visit of a certain flying man. All the town turned out to see the flight of the wonderful hydroplane, and, of course...
Here is a little puzzle culled from the traditions of an old monastery in the west of England. Abbot Francis, it seems, was a very worthy man; and his methods of equity extended to...