OK, Bobo the Bear’s first Checkerboard math puzzle just went up, and it is heavily math/geometry oriented. For those looking for a different sort of challenge, here’s a lateral thinking Checkboard brain teaser : )

Two grandmasters played five games of checkers. Each won an equal number of games, and lost an equal number of games. There were no ties in any of the games. How could this be so?

As always, answers can be entered into the comment section below. Will unmask either Friday or early next week!

One of the above,

plus one of what is seen below,

plus 7 of these

were lying in the yard. Nobody put them on the ground, but there is a very good reason for their being there.  Can you figure it out?

Answers can be entered below, will reveal submissions before the week is over!

Big Thanks to Bobo The Bear for sending in this very nice lateral thinking puzzle he created:

The following two-digit numbers all have something in common:

11, 15, 20, 40, 55, 60, 90

There is only one other two-digit number that shares the same feature. What is that number, and what do they all have in common? The 1st  reader that figures this out will win a RUNES puzzle package (not too late to buy for a great Christmas gift!). The 2rd and 3rd to figure it out will get the Smartkit PDF puzzle book.

Will announce winners (and all who can figure it out!) before the week is over. If you can figure it out, enter answer below in comment section.

How can you place a candle in such a manner that every person in the room shall see it, except one, although he shall not be blindfolded or prevented from examining any part of the room, and the candle shall not be hidden?

A bit of lateral thinking is needed for this one-will unmask submitted answers below in a couple days, thanks.

Try to draw the form of a 5 pointed star that is larger than the others, and yet have it not touch one of them!

click on the image above to view in higher resolution. You may want to print this higher quality picture out when trying to solve this puzzle.

If you can solve this, feel free to enter your answer below. Will unmask submissions toward the end of the week-good luck!

UPDATE! Those who have solved this so far include:

• Someone (the 17 year old high school whiz who was 1 of 2 to solve the ‘impossibly hard’ 3rd level of Untouchable11)
• Bobo The Bear
• Hendy
• Falwan
• Sally (Welcome to Bizarette18’s daughter!)
• Diego
• Jeff Kosmos
• Jonah
• Trunicated

Which famous person is spelled out above? (2 and 5 letters)

Thanks to Lloyd King for creating. More Smartkit lateral thinking puzzles can be found here.

Answers (which can be submitted below in comment section) to this one will remain masked for several days.

What’s the next sequence in this set?

1

11

21

1211

111221

you may submit your answers below in the comment section; will unmask in several days, thanks.

Example: What number becomes even by subtracting one? Answer: S-even

• What number, by adding one, becomes a sound?
• What number, by adding one, becomes isolated?
• What number, by inserting one, becomes finely ground meal?
• What number, by subtracting one, becomes a vegetable growth?
• What number, by subtracting one, becomes a preposition?
• What number, by subtracting one, becomes an interjection used to express disapproval?

How many of these can you figure out? Will unmask answers probably on Wednesday.

Which is the odd one out?

8sge

kr8

nc8rd

a8tpt

kcu8c

mr8acntr

Created for Smartkit by Lloyd King

Answers to show on Monday, Have a nice weekend

How can a window, having a height equal to its width, be made twice as large without increasing its height or width?

(will unmask any submitted answers to this puzzle in 24-48 hrs, thanks)

How can this be?

The layout above was taken from a famous Chinese book over 3000 years old. Can you figure out what the configuration represents? (in other words- What’s special about it?)
(Will unmask answers Friday)

OK, Get your thinking caps on- Here’s a great brain teaser Doug recently sent in:

There are 2 rooms that are completely isolated from each other. In 1 room, there are 3 light switches. In the other, 3 light bulbs.

How can you determine which light switch is connected to each light bulb if you can only be in each room ONCE?

Rearrange the middle three digits on the left side of this equation to make it correct.

answers to be unmasked in 2 days

Note: Horses may not overlap.

Click on image below to play in flash.

The above is based on Sam Loyd’s ‘Saddle the Horse’ puzzle of 1871. His version, however, was likely derived from the ‘Dead Dogs Puzzle’ which appeared in an 1849 book The Family Friend.

Interestingly, when P.T. Barnum came across Loyd’s puzzle, he supposedly bought it for $10,000 (a lot of money back then!) and handed it out to the millions of people who visited his circus- making it one of the most popular puzzles of all time.