Puzzles



David Singmaster RIP 15 February 23

David Singmaster was a one-off. An avid collector of puzzles, and a world authority on puzzle history and Rubik's cube.

Puzzles versus Maths Questions 3 October 21

What's the difference between a puzzle and a maths question? And why does it matter?

The Two-Ewes-Day Problem 15 May 21

Six years after I set the challenge for somebody to give me a realistic scenario where the boy-girl 'paradox' arises, one has cropped up.

Catch Up 16 January 21

Every so often a new game is invented that is simple and yet has hidden depths. Catch Up is a wonderful example.

Puzzling Maths Podcast 23 December 20

Goodbye, Puzzle for Today 18 August 20

Two years ago, Radio 4's Today programme introduced a daily puzzle - an interesting idea, but it had several serious flaws.

The H-Coins puzzle

The H-Coins puzzle 19 May 20

A wonderful and little known coin puzzle, ideal for doing on a pub table.

The Number Column Puzzle 2 December 19

Some puzzles involve some lateral thinking. But when does a 'creative' answer become 'cheating'.

Giving Puzzles a Punchline 15 February 19

There is a craft to turning a mediocre puzzle into a memorable one

The upside down equation 28 December 18

How a curiosity was turned into a puzzle

The Shooting Stars puzzle 19 October 18

Probability puzzles can be very slippery

How to present puzzles on the radio 5 September 18

If you want to present puzzles on the radio, it's not just the content that matters. Like a joke, it's also the way you tell it.

The Mystery of Phantom Puzzle No.137

The Mystery of Phantom Puzzle No.137 30 July 18

The story of a phantom puzzle that came from who knows where, and disappeared just as mysteriously.

Ruby Redfort's Spy Mystery 24 February 18

In the spirit of Inspector Morse, an Oxford don solved the mystery of a seemingly flawed puzzle.

From Aardvark to Zebra 10 February 18

A variant on a classic H.E.Dudeney puzzle

Who have more sisters: boys or girls? 18 January 18

If you are spending time with siblings this Christmas, ponder this question: on average who have more sisters, boys or girls?

What's the difference between a puzzle and a maths question? 24 September 17

For most people, puzzles and maths questions provoke very different reactions. But what is the difference?

If ABC goes to ABD.... 16 March 17

Where do Ideas come from? This puzzle gives a clue.

Sleeping Beauty 12 February 17

A puzzle much debated by probabilists has recently resurfaced.

Russian Roulette with a pack of cards 6 July 16

Fifty-two of you have been captured by an evil tyrant with a taste for Russian Roulette. Can you escape?

The puzzle of the two Black Queens 4 September 15

A puzzle with an answer many people will find counterintuitive.

Heathrow Airport and the Travelator Problem 11 May 15

A real life puzzle with an answer that isn't obvious.

Cheryl and the Perfect Logicians 13 April 15

The Cheryl birthday puzzle that recently went viral has opened a can of worms.

The Curious Popularity of Mackerel Questions 6 April 15

A trivia question that led to the pastime of Tubewhacking

The Irksome Tuesday Boy Problem 3 November 13

The answer to this 'classic' puzzle depends entirely on the motives of the person who poses it.