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71.—SIR EDWYN DE TUDOR.
In the illustration we have a sketch of Sir Edwyn de Tudor going to
rescue his lady-love, the fair Isabella, who was held a captive by a
neighbouring wicked baron. Sir Edwyn calculated that if he rode
fifteen miles an hour he would arrive at the castle an hour too soon,
while if he rode ten miles an hour he would get there just an hour too
late. Now, it was of the first importance that he should arrive at the
exact time appointed, in order that the rescue that he had planned
should be a success, and the time of the tryst was five o'clock, when
the captive lady would be taking her afternoon tea. The puzzle is to
discover exactly how far Sir Edwyn de Tudor had to ride.
227.—CENTRAL SOLITAIRE.
This ancient puzzle was a great favourite with our grandmothers, and
most of us, I imagine, have on occasions come across a "Solitaire"
board—a round polished board with holes cut in it in a geometrical
pattern, and a glass marble in every hole. Sometimes I have noticed
one on a side table in a suburban front parlour, or found one on a
shelf in a country cottage, or had one brought under my notice at a
wayside inn. Sometimes they are of the form shown above, but it is
equally common for the board to have four more holes, at the points
indicated by dots. I select the simpler form.
Though "Solitaire" boards are still sold at the toy shops, it will be
sufficient if the reader will make an enlarged copy of the above on a
sheet of cardboard or paper, number the "holes," and provide himself
with 33 counters, buttons, or beans. Now place a counter in every hole
except the central one, No. 17, and the puzzle is to take off all the
counters in a series of jumps, except the last counter, which must be
left in that central hole. You are allowed to jump one counter over
the next one to a vacant hole beyond, just as in the game of draughts,
and the counter jumped over is immediately taken off the board. Only
remember every move must be a jump; consequently you will take off a
counter at each move, and thirty-one single jumps will of course
remove all the thirty-one counters. But compound moves are allowed (as
in draughts, again), for so long as one counter continues to jump, the
jumps all count as one move.
Here is the beginning of an imaginary solution which will serve to
make the manner of moving perfectly plain, and show how the solver
should write out his attempts: 5-17, 12-10, 26-12, 24-26 (13-11,
11-25), 9-11 (26-24, 24-10, 10-12), etc., etc. The jumps contained
within brackets count as one move, because they are made with the same
counter. Find the fewest possible moves. Of course, no diagonal jumps
are permitted; you can only jump in the direction of the lines.
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