In single-solution regular Sudoku puzzles, sometimes you may encounter a combination of possible cell solutions such as: {2,7} in A1 and A7 (same row) {2,7} in A7 and B8 (same box) {2,7} in B8 and E8 (same column) {2,3,5,7} in E1 (same column as A1 and same row as E8) I call patterns like the...

Assuming the game is played without cheating, in three card monte can a logic approach increase the players chance of beating the house? At first glance it would seem to be unlikely but a recent article in the BBC news indicates that in the somewhat similar two person game rock-paper-scissors; k...

Logic puzzles with a set of conditions and a "logic grid" are very popular. More than one publisher is currently producing puzzle books with these types of puzzles. A Wikipedia article claims Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, (Lewis Carroll, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.) was the instiga...

Single player games using a single deck of playing cards often called patience or solitaire, generally involve a degree of skill and luck to solve. With card shuffling ultimately being the deciding factor on if the game can be solved/won. Is there any version of the game with a single player an...

I was so sure of my decision, but when I double-clicked to clear more cells, the cell to the left of the one I had just flagged (the red one next to the X) was the bomb, and the game ended. Did I have a flaw in my logic, or was this a 50-50 chance? What was my mistake?

I always start a Minesweeper puzzle by clicking the cell in the lower left corner. Even though I have never seen a bomb there, how sound is this strategy? Is it possible that some time in the future there will be a bomb there?

Minesweeper, to those who do not know the strategies involved, is a difficult game. How do I beat it every time, or at least with high frequency?

I recently posted a self-answered question concerning the strategies I use to beat Minesweeper games consistently. Doorknob justifiably pointed out that the question could, perhaps, be a bit too broad. While I disagree with him, I do recognize that he has a valid point. This question is, well, q...

Is it better to start in a corner, edge, or any random middle square? If the first square isn't empty, when is it better to click a neighbor vs. another random square? How does the strategy vary by mine density?

I've played many a-game of minesweeper, and I frequently reach positions in which there is no logical, deterministic way to come to a conclusion about how I should solve the puzzle. How should I best approach solving these puzzles to guarantee the highest statistical victory? Meta-context: ...

Let's say, I've posted a solution to a puzzle and it's been accepted. Later, I think of an alternate solution, distinctly different than the first but (hopefully) meriting mention. Is it better to make an addendum to the original, accepted solution or post a new answer which can live or die on ...

Today I came across this puzzle: How many minutes is it until six o'clock if fifty minutes ago it was four times as many minutes past three o'clock? Any help?

In Heinlein's Space Cadet, one of many tests administered to the protagonist seems to have no way of scoring any points. See the excerpt below. Late in the day he was ushered into a cubbyhole containing a chair, a gadget mounted on a desk, pencil and paper, and framed directions. "If any sc...

We now have MathJax. Can we use it to draw grids, like those needed for Sudoku and other puzzles? The following MathJax code leads to the grid below it. $$ \begin{array}{|c|c|c|} \hline \\ 1 & \; & \fbox{3} \\ \hline \\ 4 & 5 & 6 \\ \hline \\ 7 & \; & \tiny{\begin{arr...

One classic puzzle which has many different forms but basic strategy is same. Puzzle Once upon a time there was a crazy king who had a very wise minister with him. King had a habit of playing strange game of circular table. Game was like: King tells his minister a different number everyday let'...

The following is a type of logic/math puzzle I've yet to see on this site. I feel it belongs because the kernel of this problem can be reworked into other puzzles. While I do not remember what the solution was, I remember vaguely the novel aspect of its analysis. I will solve it myself and provi...

This is something I'm somewhat unclear about. Can we, for example, ask puzzles that require the use of calculus to solve? What about more sophisticated mathematical methods? Or should such questions be reserved for Math.SE?

In a previous round of discussion, we concluded that this site should have MathJax. In spite of its title, the discussion left open the issue of which delimiter should be used for inline math. There were two proposals: $math$ — the standard on Stack Exchange \$math\$ — which avoids messing up p...

This question requires a bit of logical distortion to get the information required to answer the question. However, I've never seen it asked before what would happen if more modes of question unanswerability were introduced. I'm thinking of a number from 1 to 5, and you're allowed to ask one...