MISCELLANEOUS PUZZLES
Q
110.—Ovid's Game.
Having examined " Noughts and Crosses," we will now consider
an extension of the game that is distinctly mentioned in the works of
Ovid. It is in fact the parent of " Nine Men's Morris," referred to
by Shakespeare in " A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Act II.,
sc. 2). Each player
has three counters,
which they play alter-
nately on to the nine
points shown in the
diagram, with the ob-
ject of getting three in
a line and so winning.
But after the six
counters are played
they then proceed to
move (always to an
adjacent unoccupied
point) with the same
object. In the above
example White played
first and Black has
just played on point 7. It is now White's move, and he will
undoubtedly play from 8 to 9, and then, whatever Black may
do, he will continue with 5 to 6 and so win. That is the simple
game. Now, if both players are equally perfect at the game what
should happen ? Should the first player always win
?
Or should
the second player win ? Or should every game be a draw ? One
only of these things should always occur. Which is it
?
111.—The Farmers Oxen.
A child may propose a problem that a sage cannot answer. A
farmer propounded the following question : " That ten-acre meadow
of. mine will feed twelve bullocks for sixteen weeks, or eighteen
bullocks for eight weeks. How many bullocks could I feed on a
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