Ten questions on games of reasoning and the vocabulary behind them, each explained by why it works.
Puzzle knowledge sits oddly between mathematics and general knowledge, and rarely gets taught directly. This quiz covers the structures of the classic games alongside the terms used in formal reasoning, deduction, syllogism, paradox, which people apply loosely far more often than precisely. It stays with the puzzles most widely played rather than specialist competition formats. The explanations set out why each rule or method holds, and nothing here needs to be solved under time pressure.
Every question in this quiz is listed below with its correct answer and the reasoning behind it. Play first if you would rather not see the answers — or read through as a study sheet.
Play it insteadAnswer: D. 9 by 9
Why: The grid holds 81 cells divided into nine boxes of nine. Each digit from 1 to 9 appears once per row, column and box.
Answer: A. 64
Why: It is an 8 by 8 grid, alternating light and dark. The same board is used for draughts, or checkers.
Answer: D. The knight
Why: The knight moves two squares one way and one square perpendicular. It is the only piece able to jump over others.
Answer: D. Six
Why: Six faces of nine stickers each, one colour per face when solved. Any scrambled position can be solved in twenty moves or fewer.
Answer: A. From general principles to a specific conclusion
Why: If the premises are true and the form is valid, a deductive conclusion must be true. Reasoning from specific cases to a general rule is induction, which yields likelihood rather than certainty.
Answer: C. Three
Why: Two premises lead to a conclusion, as in: all men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore Socrates is mortal. Aristotle set out the standard forms.
Answer: D. A paradox
Why: A paradox resists easy resolution and often reveals a hidden assumption. A fallacy differs in that it is simply faulty reasoning.
Answer: D. Cryptic
Why: A cryptic clue typically contains both a definition and a separate wordplay route to the same answer. The style is especially associated with British newspapers.
Answer: B. True and false
Why: Every proposition is taken to be either true or false with nothing between. Later systems relax this to handle vagueness and uncertainty.
Answer: D. Flat geometric shapes into a figure
Why: Seven flat pieces are rearranged to match a silhouette, using every piece without overlap. It originated in China and reached Europe in the nineteenth century.
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Coincidences, false positives and the places where reasoning about probability reliably fails.
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Hanoi, Konigsberg, magic squares and the structures hiding underneath famous puzzles.
In the Tower of Hanoi, which rule must never be broken?
The games and machines that built the biggest entertainment industry.
Which company created the character Mario?