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Binary Convention

Games / Brain Teasers /

During a recent cipher convention, a binary code contest took place. The contest consisted of a binary code transmission where the spaces between the letters were missing and there was no punctuation. Each letter of the alphabet was translated into its binary equivalent based on its position in the alphabet, a=1, b=10, c=11, d=100, e=101, f=110, g=111, h=1000, i=1001, j=1010, k=1011, l=1100, m=1101, n=1110, o=1111, p=10000, q=10001, r=10010, s=10011, t=10100, u=10101, v=10110, w=10111, x=11000, y=11001, z=11010. Can you find 9 countries?

101011000011110
101111110010110011
100001111110011110100
110100101111011101
11100010011100101
1101111110010111111111111<...

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The Reason

Games / Brain Teasers /

If you run, you will need me,
If you live, you will breathe me.
When you climb a mountain,
I will start to disappear,
No matter how hard you listen,
No sound will enter your ear.
I'm a reason you're alive,
Without me you would surely die.
The way I come in is not the way I get out,
Another hint is that you use me more when you shout.
Without a helper I would not get in or out at all.

What am I, and what is my helper?

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Chunky Situation

Games / Brain Teasers /

Below, 10 nine letter words have been broken into chunks of three letters. These chunks have been mixed up, no chunk is used twice and all chunks are used. Can you determine what the 10 words are?

cer ent ead rat uti spr
ful oun pro ann ope ockr
nce een oat est liv ionr
nou sev ion ast hou akfr
bre bea ens dim bed sebr

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White to Play

Games / Chess Puzzles /

Here’s another instructional game on how winning material can often come from IQP positions because of the mobility of the White pieces. The diagram is a model position for such starting points, and the modeler is none other than the late world champion, Botvinnik, who was superb in such positions.

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Use Your Illusions ... Again

Games / Brain Teasers /

The following are famous books and their authors. Letters have been taken from each book and each author. From the letter list below fill in each letter to give the names of the books and authors.

D- Vi--i C-d-
Da- B-ow-

G-e-t E-pe-ta-io-s
Ch--le- D-c-e-s

To K--l A Mo-k--g Bird
Ha-p-r L-e

Fr-n-en-t-in
M--y Sh--l--

Of M--e An- M-n
J--n S-ei--e-k

The O-t-id--s
S. -. H--t-n

The A-v-ntu--s of H--kle-er-y F--n
M--k Tw--n

T-e Sil-n-e of t-e L-m-s
T--m-s Har--s

aaaaaaaaabbbcccccccddeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhiiiiiiiikkllnnnnnnnnnoooorrrrrrrrrrsssttuuxy

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The Tough Don't Hear It

Games / Brain Teasers /

What common phrase is represented by this rebus?

Easy going:
Weak, "I'm going."
Tough, "I'm staying."

Medium going:
Weak, "I'm going."
Tough, "I'm staying."

Tough going:
Weak, "I can't do it, I'm staying!"
Tough, "Lets get going."

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White to Play

Games / Chess Puzzles /

Not all Isolated Queen Pawn attacking positions lead to mate. Sometimes, it’s just getting a winning ending from the attack, as is the case here.

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Checkers's Dog

Games / Brain Teasers /

Checkers was meeting with the lazy Sorceress and Mr.Tin, two well known dog breeders. They were just ending a conversation about politics when Mr.Tin asked Checkers if he had ever owned a dog. Checkers, trying to make it seem as if he knows something about dogs said, "Yes, I used to have a Basenji. He would always bark when someone was coming up the driveway." Mr.Tin and the lazy Sorceress knew he was lying and decided to leave. What did he lie about?

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Randy's Church Adventure

Games / Brain Teasers /

Randy liked to give his children challenging games instead of television and video games. He incorporated the use of rebus puzzles into everyday life for his kids.

One day he made a rebus for them to try and decode. It was set up like this:

Some items were lying all over a church. The church was burning down, and this is the fate of the items.

Item one: Found near the front row pews. It was in the fire, and was lost.
Item two: Found near the front door. It was also in the fire, and was lost.
Item three: Found by the bell in the bell tower. Was away from the fire, and was saved.
Item four: Found in the bathroom. Was surrounded by fire, and was lost.

It took a while, ...

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White to Play

Games / Chess Puzzles /

The key to this is recognizing the indirect attack on the Black king by the White queen.

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Use Your Illusions

Games / Brain Teasers /

The following are famous books and their authors. Letters have been taken from each book and each author. From the letter list below fill in each letter to give the names of the books and authors.

An-e-s and D-m-ns
D-n -ro-n

Pe- Se-at-r-
S-ep-en K-n-

C-r-nic-es of N-r--a
C - L-wi-

A F-re-e-l to A-m-
E-n-st H-mi-gw-y

A M-sq-e of Me-c-
Ro-e-t Fr-s-

T-e Hu-t for R-d Oc-o-e-
T-m C-a-cy

Bl-ac-e-s
Jo-n Gri-h-m

aaaaaaabbbeeeeeegghhhhhiillllmnnnnoooorrrrrrssssttttuwwyy

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Everyday Life

Games / Brain Teasers /

I can be hard, I can be soft. I can scratch my fellow self, or I can be scratched. I'm not always as strong as another version of me. I can be used as a form or communication, as well as presents or luxury. Inside and outside the earth's crust I am made, and waiting times range from one day to millions of years. I come in many colors when I am solid, and I can also be grouped together to make another common solid. Controversy has been made about health concerns in which I am removed from the earth, from disease to sudden death. While a certain few are mentioned above, I grow constantly under your feet. Little do you know you always walk on me, even when you don't try. Mountains, mines, I ...

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The Concealed Proverb

Games / Brain Teasers /

In each sentence a word is concealed, such as the word no in sentence five. If you can find the buried words and read them in order from 1 to 6, they will form a well-known proverb.

1.The word buried here has only one letter.
2.Did you find a jelly roll in Gaskin's Bakery?
3.It's the best one I've ever seen.
4.The rug at her stairway was made in India.
5.He's an old friend.
6.Amos sold his bicycle to a friend.

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White to Play

Games / Chess Puzzles /

The continuing series on IQP attacks. This one is a dandy. Use your imagination!

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Oceans

Games / Brain Teasers /

Billy recently won a contest to be on a hit trivia show, called "Trivillions", where the object of the game is to answer as many trivia questions as you can, and the more you answer, the more money you get.

Billy was psyched. He went to the store to buy a book on scarce facts. He found only two books. One was made in 2006 and the other was made in 1998. Since the old one was cheaper he went with that book.

He aced every question. The final question was, "How many oceans are there?" Easy one, he thought. When he gave his answer, "Four oceans", he got the question wrong! Why would he have not gotten the question wrong if he went with a current trivia book?

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Find the Hidden Animals

Games / Brain Teasers /

In each sentence, an animal is concealed. The first sentence has dog concealed. Can you find the others?

1. What shall I do, Gertrude?
2. Asking nutty questions can be most annoying.
3. A gold key is not a common key.
4. Horace tries in school to be a very good boy.
5. People who drive too fast are likely to be arrested.
6. Did I ever tell you, Bill, I once found a dollar?
7. John came late to his arithmetic class.
8. I enjoy listening to music at night.

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White to Play

Games / Chess Puzzles /

We’ve decided to do something different. We’re going to give you an in-depth instruction on attacks from Isolated Queen Pawn positions (IQP). You will become very knowledgeable about this attack by doing what serious players do—Play over slightly different positions that have a similar theme. You will then become a much better attacking ...

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Bold Prussian

Games / Brain Teasers /

What is special about this sentence?

Show this bold Prussian that praises slaughter, slaughter brings rout.

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Sport, Sword, Sage

Games / Brain Teasers /

Which same three letters can be added to the beginning of each of the following words to make 5 new words?:

SPORT
SWORD
SAGE
SABLE
TIME

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White to Play

Games / Chess Puzzles /

An Isolated Queen Pawn position with a king side attack

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