Unusual Position
What is the smallest number of moves needed to result in this unusual position?
SOLUTION
The shortest game takes just 4 moves:
1. Nf3 e5
2. Nxe5 Ne7
3. Nxd7 Nec6
4. Nxb8 Nxb8
Category: Brain Teasers
A collection of Math, Chess, Detective, Lateral, Insight, Science, Practical, and Deduction puzzles, carefully curated by Puzzle Prime.
Andriy Frolkin (1957) is a Ukrainian chess composer, winner of many awards.
Pass Through a Card
Take a small piece of paper – 4in by 6in, and scissors. Can you cut the paper in such a way, so that you can pass through it
SOLUTION
Yes, you can, as shown on the image below.
Be brave!
Which is the best move for White in this position?
SOLUTION
The best move is 1. Rc8+. Then either 1. … Kxb7 2. Rxd8, or 1. … Rxc8 2. Qxa7 Kxa7 3. bxc8 = N+, and Black loses both the Rook and the Queen.
Complex Timepiece
A sundial has the fewest moving parts of any timepiece. Which has the most?
SOLUTION
The hourglass, it has thousands of grains of sand.
The Pasta Puzzle
You have 10 strings of pasta left on your plate. You randomly start tying up their ends, until there are no loose ends anymore. What is the average number of loops which are created?
SOLUTION
The expected (average) number of loops at the end of the procedure is equal to the expected number of loops created after the first tying, plus the expected number of loops created after the second tying, etc. After each tying, the number of non-loop strings decreases by 1, and then the probabilities to create a new loop are 1/19, 1/17, 1/15, etc. Therefore, the answer is the sum 1/19 + 1/17 + 1/15 + … + 1/3 + 1/1 ~ 2.1.
Versatile Word
What four-letter word can be written forward, backward or upside down, and can still be read from left to right?
SOLUTION
The word NOON.
Brick Measurement
Imagine you have three identical bricks and want to find the common length of their main diagonals. What is the easiest way to do this using just a measuring tape?
SOLUTION
PLace the bricks as shown on the image below, then measure the marked segment.
Slicing a Bagel
Get a bagel and a knife, then cut the bagel in two pieces which end up linked to each other.
SOLUTION
The solution is presented HERE.
Non-Transitive Dice
This is a non-transitive dice set, i.e. every dice in it is weaker than some other dice. Can you design a non-transitive set with only 3 dice?
Remark: “Weaker” means that it loses more often than it wins.
SOLUTION
The simplest solution is given by:
2, 2, 4, 4, 9, 9;
1, 1, 6, 6, 8, 8;
3, 3, 5, 5, 7, 7.
Another solution is given by the so-called “Miwin’s dice”. They are as follows:
1, 1, 3, 5, 5, 6;
2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5;
1, 2, 2, 4, 6, 6.
Socks in the Drawer
You have a drawer with 10 pairs of black socks and 10 pairs of white socks. How many times do you need to blindly reach inside the drawer and take out a sock, so that you get a matching pair?
SOLUTION
Only 3 times. Once you have two socks of the same color, they already form a matching pair.