Brain Teasers

The Three Jugs of Water puzzle is a classic problem-solving challenge. It goes like this: Two friends have an eight-gallon jug full of water, and they also have an empty three-gallon jug and an...

Having trouble finishing that pesky 20 year old toy? Colors and squares. Sounds easy right. It is.

I love a challenging word puzzle, especially cryptoquotes. Here is a simple guide to help you learn the basics of solving these quirky little puzzles for yourself.

Mahjong is an ancient Chinese game that dates back to the mid-nineteenth century, and which gained great popularity in the 1920s. The name is roughly translated as "chattering sparrow" and is...

Brain teasers---puzzles based around imaginary solutions requiring complex mathematical logic to solve---can be addictive. They have the power to grab hold of us and not let go until we've figured...

Love to solve problems and puzzles? Why not put your powers of deductive reasoning towards writing and selling logic puzzles. While this will not make you rich, it does provide a creative...

Most of us have been there, right at the brink of winning a staring contest when suddenly, BOOM! the eye lids come crashing down and you're left wondering, "I almost had it, what in tarnation...

There’s nothing like the security of knowing that with only a simple deck of cards in your pocket—and a lot of previous rehearsal time—you will be able to get all eyes riveted...

A conundrum is not merely a simple problem but one that includes many facets and requires serious thought and analysis to solve. While conundrums are difficult, they are by no means without...

Whether you are a budding actor, a student or boning up for a big presentation, you may find a time when you must memorize a long text in a short amount of time. It may seem impossible, but...

Magicians and people at parties often impress their audience by rapidly calculating the day of the week for any date. Not many have this skill, and fewer still can calculate the month for a date...

For cryptography fans, the Vigenere square represents a prime example of the ways that encryption was done before the advent of the computer age. The Vigenere square is also called a tabula recta:...

If sitting on a stool and chatting up your bartender isn't entertaining enough for you, consider playing "Photo Hunt" during your next trip to your favorite tavern. Just look for the video...

Sudoku is a number puzzle that traveled from America to Japan, and now is popular worldwide. A number puzzle made of number puzzles, sudoku can keep you occupied for hours. Every puzzle can be...

An ambigram is a word, name or text made into a graphic that can be read in the regular way and also in another direction or orientation. Usually the ambigram is the same word or text regardless...

The Soma cube is a 3-D puzzle that has the puzzle solver rearranging the pieces so that they fit together and make a cube. Unlike the more popular Rubik's cube the pieces are separate from each...

The Rubik's Cube was as common to the 1980s as big hair and ALF. People spent hours on end trying to solve the multicolored cube, turning the squares until each of the six sides were one color....

Calculating a cube root of a 9-digit number is a great party trick. However, it takes a little time to learn the technique and practice it so you can do it quickly. Following are some easy steps...

To complete 3D jigsaw puzzles, your experience as a puzzle builder must be at a fairly high level. While a standard table puzzle may take you 5 to 15 minutes to complete, a 3D puzzle may require...

Conquer the globe puzzle! If you are ready for a new, more difficult challenge beyond the standard flat puzzle, it's time for one of these three-dimensional round puzzles.

Although best known as a mind-challenging Japanese import, sudoku was actually invented in 1979 by an American. Sudoku rules state that a number can only be used one time per column and row,...

Sudoku is a fun and challenging numerical game that stimulates the mind and requires simple logic and reasoning to solve. The rules are very simple and easy to learn, and games range from easy to...

If you're reading this, you either love and are awesome at Sudoku, or it scares the hell out of you and seems like the Bermuda Triangle. First I was the latter. Now I'm the former! Once you...

Sherlock Holmes wasn't so smart; he just knew how to do his job well.