Puzzling Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
42
votes
6 answers

What is the optimal first move in tic-tac-toe?

I have been told that it is possible to guarantee no worse than a tie in normal 3x3 tic-tac-toe, but that the first move is very important. What is that important first move?
Xynariz
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1 answer

Crippled King Crossing a Canyon

A chess king has been injured in battle against an evil wizard, and can no longer move northeast or southwest. This king is on the North rim of a canyon, and must flee to safety on the South rim. The only way to cross is a bridge, which is a…
Mike Earnest
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1 answer

The Beale Papers

The background to this one's given here. NB: These may not be a genuine cryptograms (current thinking is that these are gibberish); but I though it interesting to share these in case they're genuine / as they're probably of interest to this…
JohnLBevan
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42
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2 answers

Now You're Packing with Portals #1

I was staring at my window last night, and daydreaming (nightdreaming?) about filling it with shapes. Suddenly, I was struck with inspiration for a new type of puzzle! Here's a fairly easy instance: Pack the colored polyominoes into the white area,…
Woofmao
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42
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2 answers

Dissecting Africa

A straightforward puzzle for the patient. There are no tricks or decryptions needed. The task is 'simple' albeit potentially challenging (and maybe time-consuming). The goal Dissect the Africa-grid below into 54 pieces of different shape and size. …
BmyGuest
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41
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2 answers

Salt, pepper, herbs and spices

This puzzle is dedicated to an avid violinist. Who is the violinist? Hint: You don't have to anagram the entire riddle to find out the answer. I mean, what part of the puzzle are you trying to figure out anyway?
Mr Pie
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41
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2 answers

Pirate democracy at its finest

With our pirate crew becoming too big, the captain grew very concerned about splitting all the treasure - we continued to split it equally, but, of course, each crew member got less and less with the time. When the captain got sick of it, he…
Thomas Blue
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41
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5 answers

Unusual letter combinations

This is an entry in the Fortnightly Topic Challenge #41: Short and Sweet. English spelling is very strange. Sometimes you encounter words with letter combinations that would seem entirely unpronounceable on their own. I have listed a few such…
GentlePurpleRain
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41
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4 answers

International Hunger Crisis

Study the Inkblot Test. Read the anecdote. Determine the name of the establishment. Blots are not necessarily scaled relative to each other. So I was really {3} one day, so {3} off to get me a {5} sandwich. I told the guy behind the…
Chowzen
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41
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8 answers

With Apologies to Robert Frost

I heard this from an elderly German gentleman with a strong accent. At first I thought he was reciting a Robert Frost poem, but then the last line confused me. Some see de earth vill end times four, Some see de t'rice. From vot I've tasted of de…
Rand al'Thor
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41
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3 answers

I can turn your pet into a god

I can never see myself. I can turn your pet into a god. I can make sweets unpleasant. I will take your guns away, and you will feel secure. I can turn the sun into a bunch of rodents. Who am I?
Dotan
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41
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1 answer

From crossword to confectionery

I made a crossword, but this is no normal crossword! Here's the grid: And here are the clues: 24 grains, or 1/20 of a troy ounce Acrophobia is the fear of this An interconnected system Foolish Holding of office or land Imaginary or…
Sp3000
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41
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1 answer

Emoji Story - bad jokes edition

For devices that cannot display all the emoji, Android screenshots are included with each. ✊✊❓❓ ❓☠️ ‍♂️‍♂️ ❓6️⃣7️⃣7️⃣9️⃣ ❓ ❓❌
David Starkey
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41
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7 answers

Amnesiac in a ring shaped palace

Related: Turn off all lights in a ring-shaped palace Your boss has trapped you inside a ring-shaped palace, and all you know about the palace is that there are some number* of identical rooms, each of which contains a light which you can toggle on…
boboquack
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3 answers

Determine the algorithm

So I was given this puzzle quite some time ago and just thought it would make a nice addition to this site: Your task is to determine the method how the result is determined from the given number. A few example cases include: 177383 -> 2 267453 ->…
ThreeFx
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