List of puzzle topics
Encyclopedia
This is a list of puzzle
topics, by Wikipedia page.
See also:
Puzzle
A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...
topics, by Wikipedia page.
See also:
- AcrosticAcrosticAn acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous...
- AnagramAnagramAn anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
- Back from the klondikeBack from the KlondikeBack from the Klondike is one of Sam Loyd's most famous puzzles. The following are Sam Loyd's original instructions:Leonhard Euler, the great mathematician, discovered a rule for solving all manner of maze puzzles, which, as all good puzzlists know, depends chiefly upon working backwards...
- Ball-in-a-maze puzzleBall-in-a-maze puzzleBall-in-a-maze puzzles are dexterity puzzles which involve manipulating either a maze or one or several balls so that the ball or balls are manoeuvered towards a goal...
- Burr puzzleBurr puzzleBurr puzzles are interlocking puzzles known in Europe and Asia since at least the 18th century. Traditionally they are made from wood, but some modern versions use plastic while those of collector's quality may be made from brass...
- Chess problemChess problemA chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by somebody using chess pieces on a chess board, that presents the solver with a particular task to be achieved. For instance, a position might be given with the instruction that White is to move first, and checkmate Black in two...
- Chess puzzleChess puzzleA chess puzzle is a puzzle in which knowledge of the pieces and rules of chess is used to solve logically a chess-related problem. The longstanding popularity of chess has paved the way for a rich tradition of such chess-related puzzles and composed problems, which assume a familiarity with the...
- Computer puzzle gameComputer puzzle gamePuzzle video games are a genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles to be solved can test many problem solving skills including logic, strategy, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion....
- Cross SumsCross SumsKakuro or Kakkuro is a kind of logic puzzle that is often referred to as a mathematical transliteration of the crossword. Kakuro puzzles are regular features in many math-and-logic puzzle publications in the United States...
- Crossword puzzleCrossword PuzzleFor the common puzzle, see CrosswordCrossword Puzzle was the second to last album made by The Partridge Family and was not one of the most popular albums. It was released in 1973 and did not produce a U.S. single. This album was finally released on CD in 2003 on Arista's BMG Heritage label...
- Cryptic crosswordCryptic crosswordCryptic crosswords are crossword puzzles in which each clue is a word puzzle in and of itself. Cryptic crosswords are particularly popular in the United Kingdom, where they originated, Ireland, the Netherlands, and in several Commonwealth nations, including Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malta,...
- CryptogramCryptogramA cryptogram is a type of puzzle which consists of a short piece of encrypted text. Generally the cipher used to encrypt the text is simple enough that cryptogram can be solved by hand. Frequently used are substitution ciphers where each letter is replaced by a different letter or number. To solve...
- Daughter in the box
- Disentanglement puzzleDisentanglement puzzleA disentanglement puzzle is a type of mechanical puzzle that involves disentangling one piece or set of pieces from another piece or set of pieces. The reverse problem of reassembling the puzzle can be as hard as—or even harder than—disentanglement...
- Edge-matching puzzleEdge-matching puzzleAn edge-matching puzzle is a type of tiling puzzle involving tiling an area with polygons whose edges are distinguished with colours or patterns, in such a way that the edges of adjacent tiles match....
- Egg of ColumbusEgg of ColumbusAn egg of Columbus or Columbus's egg refers to a brilliant idea or discovery that seems simple or easy after the fact. The expression refers to a popular story of how Christopher Columbus, having been told that discovering the Americas was no great accomplishment, challenged his critics to make an...
- Eight queens puzzleEight queens puzzleThe eight queens puzzle is the problem of placing eight chess queens on an 8×8 chessboard so that no two queens attack each other. Thus, a solution requires that no two queens share the same row, column, or diagonal...
- Einstein's Puzzle
- Eternity puzzleEternity puzzleEternity is a tiling puzzle created by Christopher Monckton and launched by the Ertl Company in June 1999. Consisting of 209 pieces, it was marketed as being practically unsolveable, with a £1 million prize on offer for whoever could solve it within four years. The prize was paid out in October...
- Fifteen puzzle
- Fox, goose and bag of beans puzzleFox, goose and bag of beans puzzleThe fox, goose and bag of beans puzzle is a river-crossing puzzle. It dates back to at least the 9th century, and has entered the folklore of a number of ethnic groups.-The story:...
- Globe puzzle
- Graeco-Latin squareGraeco-Latin squareIn mathematics, a Graeco-Latin square or Euler square or orthogonal Latin squares of order n over two sets S and T, each consisting of n symbols, is an n×n arrangement of cells, each cell containing an ordered pair , where s is in S and t is in T, such that every row and every column contains...
- GryGryThe Gry Puzzle is a popular puzzle that asks for the third English word, other than "angry" and "hungry," that ends with the letters "-gry." Aside from words derived from "angry" and "hungry," there is no stand-alone word ending in "-gry" that is in current usage.This puzzle has no good answer, yet...
- Happy CubeHappy CubeHappy Cubes are a set of mechanical puzzles created in 1986 by the Belgian toy inventor Dirk Laureyssens. The company "Happy bvba" has the exclusive license to manufacture and sell these puzzles .Happy Cubes are also known by a number of other names, among them: "Cube It!" cubes, "Wirrel Warrel" ,...
- InsightInsightInsight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect in a specific context. Insight can be used with several related meanings:*a piece of information...
- Jigsaw puzzleJigsaw puzzleA jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellating pieces.Each piece usually has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture...
- KenKenKenKenKenKen or KenDoku is a style of arithmetic and logic puzzle invented in 2004 by the Japanese math teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto, an innovator who says he practices "the art of teaching without teaching". He intends the puzzles as an instruction-free method of training the brain...
- Knights and knavesKnights and knavesKnights and Knaves is a type of logic puzzle devised by Raymond Smullyan.On a fictional island, all inhabitants are either knights, who always tell the truth, or knaves, who always lie. The puzzles involve a visitor to the island who meets small groups of inhabitants...
- Knight's TourKnight's tourThe knight's tour is a mathematical problem involving a knight on a chessboard. The knight is placed on the empty board and, moving according to the rules of chess, must visit each square exactly once. A knight's tour is called a closed tour if the knight ends on a square attacking the square from...
- Lateral thinkingLateral thinkingLateral thinking is solving problems through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involving ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic...
- Latin squareLatin squareIn combinatorics and in experimental design, a Latin square is an n × n array filled with n different symbols, each occurring exactly once in each row and exactly once in each column...
- Letter bankLetter bankA letter bank is a type of anagram where all the letters of one word can be used as many times as desired to make a new word or phrase...
- Lock puzzleLock puzzleA lock puzzle is a type of mechanical puzzle. It consists of a lock with unusual or hidden mechanics. Such locks are sometimes called trick locks, because opening them is like performing a magic trick. A matching key may or may not be used in this trick....
- Logic puzzleLogic puzzleA logic puzzle is a puzzle deriving from the mathematics field of deduction.-History:The logic puzzle was first produced by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who is better known under his pen name Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
- Logo extraction puzzleLogo extraction puzzlesthumb|252px|right|3rd Edition of the Retail Alphabet Game.Logo extraction puzzles are a class of printed or online games by which a player is provided a series of photographic segments of larger, identifiable branding logos from which to decipher the source....
- Magic squareMagic squareIn recreational mathematics, a magic square of order n is an arrangement of n2 numbers, usually distinct integers, in a square, such that the n numbers in all rows, all columns, and both diagonals sum to the same constant. A normal magic square contains the integers from 1 to n2...
- Mahjong solitaireMahjong solitaireMahjong solitaire is a solitaire matching game that uses a set of Mahjong tiles rather than cards. It is also known as Shanghai solitaire, electronic or computerized mahjong, MahJong solitaire, solitaire Mahjong and, erroneously, as Mahjong...
- Matchstick puzzleMatchstick puzzleMatchstick puzzles are rearrangement puzzles in which a number of matchsticks are arranged as squares, rectangles or triangles.The problem to solve is usually formulated as : move n matchsticks to make m squares ).However some of the puzzles require lateral thinking and are not just about making...
- Mathematical puzzleMathematical puzzleMathematical puzzles make up an integral part of recreational mathematics. They have specific rules as do multiplayer games, but they do not usually involve competition between two or more players. Instead, to solve such a puzzle, the solver must find a solution that satisfies the given conditions....
- MazeMazeA maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...
- Mechanical puzzleMechanical puzzleA mechanical puzzle is a puzzle presented as a set of mechanically interlinked pieces.- History :The oldest known mechanical puzzle comes from Greece and appeared in the 3rd century BC....
- Merkle's PuzzlesMerkle's PuzzlesIn cryptography, Merkle's Puzzles is an early construction for a public-key cryptosystem, a protocol devised by Ralph Merkle in 1974 and published in 1978. It allows two parties to agree on a shared secret by exchanging messages, even if they have no secrets in common...
- Minus CubeMinus CubeThe Minus Cube is a 3D mechanical variant of the n-puzzle which was manufactured in the Soviet Union. It consists of a bonded transparent plastic box containing seven small cubes, each glued together from two U-shape parts: one white and one coloured. The length of one side of the interior of the...
- Morpion solitaireMorpion solitaireMorpion solitaire is a one-player paper-and-pencil game. References to the game first appeared in French publications in the 1970s. In addition to being played recreationally, the game has been the subject of theoretical studies and computer searches for solutions.-Rules:The game is played on a...
- N-puzzleN-puzzleThe 15-puzzle is a sliding puzzle that consists of a frame of numbered square tiles in random order with one tile missing. The puzzle also exists in other sizes, particularly the smaller 8-puzzle...
- National Puzzlers' LeagueNational Puzzlers' LeagueThe National Puzzlers' League is a nonprofit organization focused on puzzling, primarily in the realm of word play and word games. Founded in 1883, it is the oldest puzzlers' organization in the world...
- NikoliNikoliNikoli Co., Ltd. is a Japanese publisher that specializes in games and, especially, logic puzzles. Nikoli is also the nickname of a quarterly magazine issued by the company...
- NurikabeNurikabeNurikabe is a binary determination puzzle named for an invisible wall in Japanese folklore that blocks roads and delays foot travel...
- Packing problemPacking problemPacking problems are a class of optimization problems in mathematics which involve attempting to pack objects together , as densely as possible. Many of these problems can be related to real life packaging, storage and transportation issues...
- Paint by numbersPaint by numbersNonograms, also known as Hanjie, Paint by Numbers, or Griddlers, are picture logic puzzles in which cells in a grid have to be colored or left blank according to numbers given at the side of the grid to reveal a hidden picture. In this puzzle type, the numbers measure how many unbroken lines of...
- Peg solitairePeg solitairePeg solitaire is a board game for one player involving movement of pegs on a board with holes. Some sets use marbles in a board with indentations. The game is known simply as Solitaire in the United Kingdom where the card games are called Patience...
- PentominoPentominoA pentomino is a polyomino composed of five congruent squares, connected along their edges ....
- Pirate loot problem
- Plate-and-ring puzzle
- Prisoners and hats puzzlePrisoners and hats puzzleThe prisoners and hats puzzle is an induction puzzle that involves reasoning about the actions of other people, drawing in aspects of Game theory. There are many variations, but the central theme remains the same...
- Problem solvingProblem solvingProblem solving is a mental process and is part of the larger problem process that includes problem finding and problem shaping. Consideredthe most complex of all intellectual functions, problem solving has been defined as higher-order cognitive process that requires the modulation and control of...
- Rattle puzzle
- RebusRebusA rebus is an allusional device that uses pictures to represent words or parts of words. It was a favourite form of heraldic expression used in the Middle Ages to denote surnames, for example in its basic form 3 salmon fish to denote the name "Salmon"...
- Rubik's CubeRubik's CubeRubik's Cube is a 3-D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik.Originally called the "Magic Cube", the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Ideal Toy Corp. in 1980 and won the German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle that...
- SpeedcubingSpeedcubingSpeedcubing is the activity of solving a Rubik's Cube or related puzzle as quickly as possible...
- Pocket CubePocket CubeThe Pocket Cube is the 2×2×2 equivalent of a Rubik's Cube. The cube consists of 8 pieces, all corners.-Permutations:...
- Speedcubing
- Rubik's MagicRubik's MagicRubik's Magic, like Rubik's Cube, is a mechanical puzzle invented by the Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik and first manufactured by Matchbox in the mid-1980s....
- Rubik's RevengeRubik's RevengeThe Rubik's Revenge is the 4×4×4 version of Rubik's Cube. Invented by Péter Sebestény, the Rubik's Revenge was nearly called the Sebestény Cube until a somewhat last-minute decision changed the puzzle's name to attract fans of the original Rubik's Cube...
- Situation puzzleSituation puzzleSituation puzzles are often referred to as lateral thinking puzzles or "yes/no" puzzles.Situation puzzles are usually played in a group, with one person hosting the puzzle and the others asking questions which can only be answered with a "yes" or "no" answer...
- Sliding puzzleSliding puzzleA sliding puzzle, sliding block puzzle, or sliding tile puzzle is a puzzle that challenges a player to slide usually flat pieces along certain routes to establish a certain end-configuration....
- Snake cubeSnake cubeThe snake cube is a mechanical puzzle, a chain of 27 or 64 cubelets, connected by an elastic band running through them. The cubelets can rotate freely. The aim of the puzzle is to arrange the chain in such a way that they will form 3 x 3 x 3 or 4 x 4 x 4 cube.- Variations :A variation on the...
- SokobanSokobanis a type of transport puzzle, in which the player pushes boxes or crates around in a warehouse, trying to get them to storage locations. The puzzle is usually implemented as a video game....
- Soma cubeSoma cubeThe Soma cube is a solid dissection puzzle invented by Piet Hein in 1933 during a lecture on quantum mechanics conducted by Werner Heisenberg. Seven pieces made out of unit cubes must be assembled into a 3x3x3 cube...
- Stick puzzleStick puzzleStick puzzles use sets of 'polysticks' which have to be assembled into two- or three-dimensional configurations.Polysticks are configurations of joined or unjoined thin 'sticks'...
- SudokuSudokuis a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9...
- TangramTangramThe tangram is a dissection puzzle consisting of seven flat shapes, called tans, which are put together to form shapes. The objective of the puzzle is to form a specific shape using all seven pieces, which may not overlap...
- Thinking outside the boxThinking outside the boxThinking outside the box is to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective. This phrase often refers to novel or creative thinking....
- Three-cottage problem
- Three cups problemThree cups problemThe Three Cups problem is a mathematical puzzle that, in its most common form, cannot be solved. Starting with three cups, you place one of the cups upside down and the other two right-side up. The objective is to turn all cups right-side up in no more than six moves. You must turn over exactly two...
- Tiling puzzleTiling puzzleTiling puzzles are puzzles involving two-dimensional packing problems in which a number of flat shapes have to be assembled into a larger given shape without overlaps . Some tiling puzzles ask you to dissect a given shape first and then rearrange the pieces into another shape...
- Tour puzzleTour puzzleIn tour puzzles the player of the puzzle makes a trip around a board using a token which represents a traveller....
- Tower of HanoiTower of HanoiThe Tower of Hanoi or Towers of Hanoi, also called the Tower of Brahma or Towers of Brahma, is a mathematical game or puzzle. It consists of three rods, and a number of disks of different sizes which can slide onto any rod...
- T puzzleT puzzleThe T puzzle is a puzzle the object of which is to assemble four shapes into the form of a letter T.-External links:* at MathWorld*...
- Transport puzzleTransport puzzleTransport puzzles are logistical puzzles, which often represent real-life transport problems.-Description:In transport puzzles you move persons and/or objects through a given landscape. As in rearrangement puzzles, no piece is ever lost or added to the board...
- TsumegoTsumegois the Japanese term for a Go problem based on life-and-death. The term likely comes from , as means mating in Shogi but has no meaning in Go. Tsumego problems are common in newspaper columns; the usual format is of a position set up on some delimited area of the board, and the instruction reads...
- TsumeshogiTsumeshogior tsume is the Japanese term for a shogi problem in which the goal is to checkmate the opponent's King. Tsume problems present a situation that might occur in a shogi game, and the solver must find out how to achieve checkmate. It is similar to a chess problem.-Rules:Tsume problems have set...
- Verbal arithmeticVerbal arithmeticVerbal arithmetic, also known as alphametics, cryptarithmetic, crypt-arithmetic, cryptarithm or word addition, is a type of mathematical game consisting of a mathematical equation among unknown numbers, whose digits are represented by letters. The goal is to identify the value of each letter...
- Wire puzzle
- Wire-and-string puzzle
- XYZZY Award for Best Individual Puzzle
People
- Henry DudeneyHenry DudeneyHenry Ernest Dudeney was an English author and mathematician who specialised in logic puzzles and mathematical games. He is known as one of the country's foremost creators of puzzles...
- Sam LoydSam LoydSamuel Loyd , born in Philadelphia and raised in New York, was an American chess player, chess composer, puzzle author, and recreational mathematician....
- Arthur WynneArthur WynneArthur Wynne was the British-born inventor of the crossword puzzle.-Early life:Arthur Wynne was born on June 22, 1871 in Liverpool, England...
- Lloyd KingLloyd King (puzzle designer)Lloyd King is a puzzle designer, published author, and artist, based in Australia. King grew up in Hambleden, England, and became interested in puzzles after leaving school, eventually gaining enough confidence to write his own...
- Ernő RubikErno RubikErnő Rubik is a Hungarian inventor, architect and professor of architecture. He is best known for the invention of mechanical puzzles including Rubik's Cube , Rubik's Magic, Rubik's Magic: Master Edition, Rubik's Snake and Rubik's 360....
- David J. BodycombeDavid J. BodycombeDavid J. Bodycombe is a puzzle author and games consultant. He is based in London, and his work is read by over 2 million people a day in the UK, and is syndicated to over 300 newspapers internationally...
- Martin GardnerMartin GardnerMartin Gardner was an American mathematics and science writer specializing in recreational mathematics, but with interests encompassing micromagic, stage magic, literature , philosophy, scientific skepticism, and religion...
- Emily CoxEmily Cox (compiler)Emily Cox is a US puzzle writer. She and her partner, Henry Rathvon, wrote "The Atlantic Puzzler," a cryptic crossword featured each month in the magazine The Atlantic Monthly from 1997 to August 2009...
and Henry RathvonHenry RathvonHenry Rathvon is a puzzle writer. He and his partner, Emily Cox, wrote The Atlantic Puzzler, a cryptic crossword featured each month in the magazine The Atlantic Monthly from September 1977 to October 2009... - Will ShortzWill ShortzWill Shortz is an American puzzle creator and editor, and currently the crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times.-Early life and education:...
- Mike SelinkerMike SelinkerMike Selinker is a game designer whose design credits include Pirates of the Spanish Main and Fightball with James Ernest, Axis & Allies Revised Edition with Larry Harris, the Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game, and Risk Godstorm. He was a creative director for the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
- Scott KimScott KimScott Kim is an American puzzle and computer game designer, artist, and author. He started writing an occasional "Boggler" column for Discover magazine in 1990, and became an exclusive columnist in 1999, and created hundreds of other puzzles for magazines such as Scientific American and Games, as...
- Araucaria
- Stephen SondheimStephen SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
- Kit WilliamsKit WilliamsChristopher 'Kit' Williams is an English artist, illustrator and author best known for his book Masquerade, a pictorial storybook which contains clues to the location of a golden jewelled hare created by Williams and then buried "somewhere in Britain."Williams wrote another puzzle book with a bee...
- Jerry SlocumJerry SlocumJerry Slocum is an American historian, collector and author specializing on the field of mechanical puzzles. Prior to retiring and dedicating his life to puzzles, he worked as an engineer at Hughes Aircraft...
- Nob YoshigaharaNob YoshigaharaNobuyuki Yoshigahara was perhaps Japan's most celebrated inventor, collector, solver, and communicator of puzzles....
- Christine LovattChristine LovattChristine Lovatt is an Australian crossword puzzle compiler and co-founder of Lovatts Publications, an Australian magazine company that publishes crossword and sudoku puzzles....