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Train Your Brain: A Year's Worth of Puzzles

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George Grätzer
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Train Your
Brain
A Year's Worth
of Puzzles

George
Grätzer
Table of Contents

Preface 9
Puzzles 13
The Academy of Advanced Thinking 69
Hints 89
Solutions 105
Appendix 223
A Friendly Afterword to the Reader 231
Afterword to the Second Edition 233

1
2
Puzzle Directory

There are three numbers to the right of each puzzle title: the first is the page
number of the puzzle itself; the second, the page number of the hint (if one is
given); and the furthest to the right, the page number of the solution.
1st Week
A Journey by Ship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 89 105
Two Games of Chess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 89 105
A Journey by Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 89 105
2nd Week
The Math Whiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 106
The Will . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 107
The Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 89 107
3rd Week
Nicholas’s House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 107
A Remarkable Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 89 108
Competitors, or The Raise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 90 109
4th Week
The Metal Rod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 109
The Ancient Greek Copper Lion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 90 110
The Arab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 110
5th Week
On the Trolley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 90 110
Hunting Hares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 90 110
Telephone Cable—A Long Line? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 90 111
6th Week
Dinner of Dumplings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 111
The Paradox of Protagoras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 112
Say How Many Flags Are Flying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 113
7th Week
Homework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 115
The Superhotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 116
Jealous Husbands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 116

3
4

8th Week
Another Superhotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 90 116
Three-Letter Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 91 117
In the Kindergarten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 91 118
9th Week
How Old Is Susie? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 91 119
Curious Addition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 91 119
Exercise in Logic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 123
10th Week
The Local Lurches On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 91 123
Whites and Blacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 91 124
The Little Troublemaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 92 125
11th Week
In the Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 125
Five Little Decks of Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 92 125
An Awkward Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 92 126
12th Week
Cycle Tour I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 92 126
More Jealous Husbands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 126
Toy Soldiers—On the Double! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 92 127
13th Week
Big Problem—Chess Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 92 128
Cycle Tour II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 93 128
With Time and Patience, You’ll Go Far . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 128
14th Week
Pouring Judiciously . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 130
The Barber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 93 131
Council of Elders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 131
15th Week
The Story of Josephus Flavius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 132
Car Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 93 133
The Importance of Plain Speaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 93 133
16th Week
The Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 93 135
Astonishing Trick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 93 135
Prize Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 136
17th Week
Bicycle Motor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 138
Each Ninth Drops Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 139
Impressive Card Trick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 94 139
18th Week
 5

How Did He Know That? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 94 139

Weight Trick I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 140
Knight on the Chess Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 94 141
19th Week
Pocket Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 141
Water Pipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 142
Cycle Tour III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 143
20th Week
The Cans—Yes, We Can! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 143
Three Puzzles in As Many Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 94 144
Shopping for Chocolate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 94 146
21st Week
Instant Addition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 94 146
Still More Jealous Husbands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 94 148
Soccer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 95 149
22nd Week
Prime Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 95 150
Cycle Tour IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 95 151
Green Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 95 152
23rd Week
Money for Ice Cream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 95 153
At Lake Michigan I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 154
The Envious Cousin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 95 154
24th Week
A Ship Sails By . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 95 154
At Lake Michigan II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 155
Guests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 156
25th Week
Beside/Below . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 158
Lesson in Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 96 158
Auto Racing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 96 161
26th Week
Uncle Pops a Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 96 161
The Nephew Strikes Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 162
The Window Dresser’s Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 162
27th Week
At Lake Michigan III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 163
Colored Dice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 96 163
Francesca’s Teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 164
28th Week
Scribble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 164
6

Randolini’s Card Trick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 96 165

Vacation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 165
29th Week
Typical Mathematician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 167
Weight Trick II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 167
At Lake Michigan IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 167
30th Week
Carton Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 97 169
No Splitting of Hairs! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 170
Toy Soldiers—Halt! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 97 172
31st Week
Dice Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 173
Party Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 97 173
First and Last Day of the Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 97 175
32nd Week
Bridge Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 97 175
Beside/Below Redux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 97 176
Weight Trick III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 97 177
33rd Week
The Spy Who Came around the Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 98 178
Grandfather and Grandson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 179
Finally, Concerning Jealous Husbands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 180
34th Week
One More Time: Knight on the Chess Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 181
Battle of Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 98 182
Remains of a Long Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 98 183
35th Week
Ten Little Slips of Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 185
Castle Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 98 186
Married Couples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 98 186
36th Week
Legal Problem from Antiquity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 98 187
At the School Dance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 187
Square Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 98 188
37th Week
Half-Truths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 188
The Great Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 189
38th Week
Headscratcher with Caps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 99 190
Schoolgirls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 191
 7

39th Week
Tennis Tournament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 99 192
Hurdle Race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 99 193
40th Week
Vacation Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 99 196
The Wine Grower’s Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 197
41st Week
Divine Injunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 99 198
Mathematicians in Conversation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 100 200
42nd Week
Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 100 201
The Fickle Sultan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 100 202
43rd Week
Military Band—Blow Your Own Horn! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 100 203
At the Round Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 101 204
44th Week
Fountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 207
Tommy’s Surprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 101 207
45th Week
A Number in Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 102 209
The Hungry Market Woman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 102 210
46th Week
Another Fragmentary Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 211
Return of the Sultan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 102 212
47th Week
An Interesting Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 102 213
At Lake Michigan V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 213
48th Week
Computational Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 215
The Puzzling Scribble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 215
49th Week
Footrace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 103 217
No Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 103 217
50th Week
The Beam Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 218
Unsuccessful Decree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 219
51st Week
Book Lovers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 103 220
Four Couples, Four Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 221
52nd Week
8

Weighing Once Wins! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 103 221

Clever Heirs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 221
Preface

Many people start their day with exercise. And we take that pretty much for
granted, since from childhood we’ve always been told about the importance of
regular fitness training. At the same time, we recognize that very few of us
concern ourselves with exercising the brain, the organ that makes us human.
Many even brag about this negligence.
Honestly, telling riddles is one of my great passions. If I happen to hear an
interesting brain teaser, I won’t rest until I’ve passed it on to all my friends.
Occasionally, though—to my great chagrin—I run into resistance that surprises
me. If it’s a relatively long puzzle, some people will break right into the middle
of it and start talking about something else. “That reminds me that. . . .” If the
teaser is a short one, though, and makes a telling point, others might laugh and
say mechanically,
“Ah, a well-rested brain thought that one up!”
Yes, fortunately there are still people with “well-rested brains”!
Unfortunately, most people don’t appreciate the power of systematic thought.
In school, if at all, it is mostly mathematics that is responsible for developing the
logical thinking capacity of the brain. For the majority of students, however,
the stuff of mathematics remains a collection of formulas to be crammed for
tests. Is it really still necessary to demonstrate this well-known fact? Just look
at how the teaching of mathematics in school is represented in world literature.
And beyond school? After graduation, “brain-jogging,” minimal to begin
with, almost ceases, and we are fully occupied with the routines of everyday
life.
It wasn’t on a whim that I said we really don’t know what all our intellects
are capable of. Even absent a Gallup Poll, we can carry out a small statistical
survey among our own circle of friends. Let’s challenge them, one at a time,
with the following extraordinarily simple brain teaser:

“Someone called me on the phone,” explains Jack, “and when I

asked with whom I was speaking, the person calling was surprised I
didn’t recognize the voice, since the mother-in-law of his mother is
my mother. I didn’t believe what the caller was saying, since I have
no siblings.”
What is the relationship between Jack and the caller?

9
10

Most people to whom I presented this puzzle asked me to repeat it, to give
them a chance to pull themselves together, or maybe change the subject. Some
said confidently, “It was Jack’s mother who called him, right?” And then I was
forced to argue that this assumption is completely mistaken. It occurred to only
a few to examine their answer themselves, and perhaps reach that high peak
from which one doesn’t search for the answer by guessing, but finds it rather
through logical thinking.

And really, the answer is quite simple! The mother-in-law of the caller’s
mother is Jack’s mother, in other words the husband of the caller’s mother
and Jack are children of the same mother. But since Jack has no siblings, the
husband of the caller’s mother is none other than Jack himself. That is, Jack
is the husband of the caller’s mother, and thus the caller is a child of Jack (or
perhaps, just of his wife).
So astonishment is warranted all around: On the part of the caller, since the
father hasn’t recognized his child’s voice. On the reader’s part, astonishment is
appropriate, seeing how simple the solution to such a puzzle can be.
“Really, even I could have solved that,” you might say—and you would be
correct! Try out the brain teasers in this book, and you’ll see that you too can
solve them.
What are the prerequisites for solving brain teasers?
First, you need to have good brain teasers! Please browse through the book.
I hope that even a picky reader will find ample material to his or her taste.
Second, you have to be committed to thinking logically. You have to think
through attentively and systematically what you know, and then consider what
conclusions can be drawn from it. This is not in and of itself a prescription for
solving problems (no such prescription unfortunately—or thank God—exists),
but rather only a basic observation.
Third, you need an idea. Actually, not every brain teaser requires this. The
problem just given, for instance, unraveled itself, as it were, after a bit of logical
reflection and without any idea per se. With many brain teasers, however,
you have to step a bit aside from the usual daily grind. Let us be mental
“innovators”! At first, of course, we need to sweat out only modest ideas. But
 11

later, in proportion with the level of difficulty, the pleasure we feel over a good
idea is correspondingly greater.
I have yet to find among my friends anyone who, reading a book, is able to
stick completely to the principles and instructions of the preface. Nevertheless,
I’d now like to offer such advisory notes. The reader can make use of them (or
not) as he or she likes. Cheers!
As the reader will perhaps have noticed, this book is not organized into
chapters, but into 52 weeks. I’ve organized the book this way so that the reader
finds an intellectual treat each week. The fact that each week only a few brain
teasers are presented (in the first 36 weeks, three per week; in the last 16 weeks,
only two per week) counsels patience.
I say, take your time solving problems. Don’t run headlong at the solution
to a problem, and don’t pass it over either, just because you think, “I’m not
going to be able to solve this anyway.” Sure! You’ll manage if you’re persistent.
If the reader doesn’t solve the problems in the order in which they are
presented, it can well happen that he or she will run into an unfamiliar concept.
For this reason I recommend the puzzles be solved in order. That is, somewhere
we will surely have explained concepts that are not generally familiar. The
reader should look at the solution given, even when he or she has solved the
problem independently. Often, the solution we give rests on a general principle
that can profitably be put to use in a future problem.
If even after numerous attempts the reader has been unsuccessful in solving
a brain teaser (after repeatedly getting to work and reflecting on it for, let’s
say, three or four days), he or she should first look at the hints in the second
part of the book. There the reader will find ideas for solutions to an array of
problems. These are not complete solutions, which are given in the third part,
Solutions. Even in Hints, references to earlier problems—where needed—can be
found. The little “Hint-Man” greeting the reader in the margin indicates that
solution ideas and concepts to the corresponding problem are to be found in
Hints.
A separate title is assigned to the last sixteen weeks: The Advanced Study of
Thinking. In this section, we pose only two brain teasers per week, but anyone
who manages two such puzzles can give him- or herself a pat on the back. I
recommend this section to all those who get a kick from beautiful ideas.
Off we go! Readers and solvers, he who seeks, finds. Look for the solution
and find salvation! Have fun with it. Now it’s time for our weekly brain teasers!
A Friendly Afterword to
the Reader

I turn to you, now, dear reader. Just now, having solved every problem, you
meant to put the book down, thinking you’ve finished it. I direct myself also
to those curious readers who may just have thumbed through the pages to the
end, without having diligently solved all the problems. Or could it be you’ve
not yet even begun solving them?
Let me say a few words about why, how, and from what sources this book
was written.
In retrospect, be it said this book belongs to the large family of books meant
to popularize mathematics. Its primary goal, as set forth in the foreword, is
calisthenics for the brain. To reach this goal, though, I’ve chosen particular
puzzles not so much for their own sake; rather, I’ve picked brain teasers that
acquaint the reader with mathematics, and even make it pleasurable. Given the
book’s design, its mathematical background is given rather modest scope, but
that is only fitting, for the reader must discover the theorems presented here for
himself. In several of the brain teasers, interesting mathematical theorems are
reduced to their constituent elements. Think, for example, of the entertaining
series of problems leading to the theory of Nim games, or of the puzzles that
lead to the Eulerian condition for the traversability of graphs. A discovery like
that is a terrific experience! After one’s first such experience, mathematics is
no longer just an assortment of theorems created by some god (or humans, for
that matter—who knows how?). We realize that we too can create theorems!
Given that this math book is a work of popular science, it follows, of course,
that much of its content is not new. “Nothing new under the sun” is an adage
applicable also to popular math—or at least rarely does something new appear.
But those readers at whom this book is aimed presumably won’t be exhaustively
versed in the world literature of popular mathematics. So, for them, it’s all the
same if a brain teaser here is based on a puzzle that has appeared elsewhere or
is even a familiar classic. It may well be that a classic brain teaser is all the
better for having stood the test of time and assumed a corresponding aura.
In my choice of contents, I was, of course, focused on picking brain teasers
that were not previously published in Hungarian. From books published in that
language, I’ve included only three or four puzzles.

231
232

My collection of brain teasers relies heavily on the beautiful book Mathemat-

ical Recreations by M. Kraitchik, (London, George Allen & Unwill Ltd, 1955,
and New York, Dover, 1953). I’ve also borrowed a number of problems that
best embodied my contributions to the Hungarian Mathematical and Physical
Journal for Secondary Schools.8
Finally, let me note that in putting this book together consistent with the
principles outlined above, I’ve also used brain teasers that are not puzzles in the
strict sense of the word. In those cases, however, some mathematical rationale
has always been in the background.
Thanks for your attention, and once again, have fun!
George Grätzer

8 The Hungarian title is Középiskolai Matematikai és Fizikai Lapok.

Afterword to the Second
Edition

Frigyes Karinthy9 encountered the Young Man on the Corso10 in Budapest.11

I encountered the young man in Winnipeg at the Polo Park supermarket. He
was, of course, much faster than I, so I saw only his back as he walked past me.
I thought he looked familiar. He was thin, had thick brown hair, and was in a
big hurry. I caught up with him as he stopped in front of a store. He turned half
towards me and knew at once who I was. I can’t say he was overjoyed to see me.

“Things haven’t gone all that badly,” I said, some-

what hesitantly.
“Really?” he replied.
“You’re the son of the ‘Puzzle King,’12 and as a stu-
dent in your third year at university you wrote that
which met your family’s expectations: your first puz-
zle book. So, how many puzzle books have you added
to the family tradition in the half century since then?”
“Not a single one. But I’ve written 20 other books.
I’ve become a researcher in the field of mathematics.
The two most important books I’ve written were on my
two main subject fields, and both have appeared in sev-
eral editions. I’ve published more than 230 original pa-
pers. And I’ve become an expert in mathematical type-
setting and makeup. The books I’ve written on that
subject have found their way into the hands of approx-
imately 40,000 mathematicians.”
“Good,” said the young man, “I know you’ve worked
9 Frigyes Karinthy (1887–1938), Hungarian author who wrote plays, adventure stories, and

fairy-tales in verse.
10 The Corso is the pedestrian promenade in the inner city.
11 Frigyes Karinthy’s novela Találkozás egy fiatalemberrel (Encounter with a Young Man)

appeared first in 1913 in the book of the same name published by Athenaeum-Verlag.
12 József Grätzer (1897–1945), the Hungarian Puzzle King, authored in the 1930s (among

other titles) the puzzle books Rebus and Sicc, which by now have brought serious pleasure to
three generations of readers.

233
 234

on a lot of different things. But why haven’t you pursued puzzles?”

“I haven’t just quit working with puzzles. When I wrote this book, I was
one of the best Hungarian authors of chess compositions13 and I’ve won many
contests. I’ve quit doing that too. Thinking up puzzles, creating chess prob-
lems, and mathematical research—all three processes run partly consciously, and
partly subconsciously. We ponder a problem for a long time, and one morning
we wake up having found the solution. It’s possible to divide up our conscious
thinking into two or three blocks of time. It’s much more difficult, though, to use
our unconscious thought processes and our nightly sleep for multiple purposes.”
The young man didn’t agree. I didn’t pursue my conversation with him.
Perhaps he was right after all.

∗ ∗ ∗

So it is especially gratifying for me that my current publisher, Ádám Hal-

mos, raised the question of a Grätzer Trilogy. At the suggestion of my current
editor, Mária Halmos, the earlier work of my youth became, next to my father’s
two books, part of this trilogy. In her high-school years, Mária Halmos won a
mathematical contest for which she was rewarded with a copy of Denksport für
ein Jahr. Later, in the course of her career, she wrote mathematical textbooks,
in the course of which she frequently referenced my book. Thus, she was able
to convince her son Ádám Halmos to publish along with my father’s two classic
books, a new edition of my book too. And who can say “no” to his mother?
For the second edition, two experts have once again scrutinized each puzzle
thoroughly: Mária Halmos, whom we’ve already introduced, and Erika Kucz-
mann, who for two decades pursued the teaching of mathematics and student
talent management. These two women have formulated nearly every brain teaser
and solution more elegantly and corrected many errors. It has been my great
good fortune to have had these two prominent experts so fruitfully revise my
book.
It gives me great pleasure to know my readers can now take the product of
these efforts in hand.

13 See http://www.magyarsakkszerzok.com/ and http://www.magyarsakkszerzok.com/

gratzer-gy.htm

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