mscroggs.co.uk
mscroggs.co.uk
blog     puzzles     academic     talks     contact     subscribe↓ ☰ ↓

subscribe

Puzzles

Placing plates

Source: Problem Solving 101 by Stephen Muirhead (Chalkdust Magazine)
Two players take turns placing identical plates on a square table. The player who is first to be unable to place a plate loses. Which player wins?

Show answer & extension

Tags: games, geometry, symmetry
If you enjoyed this puzzle, check out Sunday Afternoon Maths LVIII,
puzzles about games, or a random puzzle.

Archive

Show me a random puzzle
 Most recent collections 

Advent calendar 2024

Advent calendar 2023

Advent calendar 2022

Advent calendar 2021
List of all puzzles

Tags

logic sets odd numbers folding tube maps 2d shapes percentages partitions books the only crossnumber chess crossnumbers ave binary square numbers polygons clocks addition square roots chocolate digital clocks geometric mean prime numbers dates elections grids tangents time area cube numbers proportion probability calculus arrows symmetry factorials multiples cryptic crossnumbers mean speed shape complex numbers taxicab geometry powers expansions money pentagons spheres consecutive numbers algebra cryptic clues quadrilaterals colouring circles dice polynomials irreducible numbers means dodecagons parabolas integration routes sport tiling functions menace lines trigonometry gerrymandering digits even numbers medians rectangles decahedra cubics balancing coordinates ellipses products quadratics graphs squares crossnumber triangles geometric means rugby crosswords number palindromes geometry remainders dominos christmas pascal's triangle coins neighbours chalkdust crossnumber indices triangle numbers axes scales averages star numbers multiplication sequences hexagons angles determinants division floors bases cards shapes people maths square grids range unit fractions albgebra consecutive integers integers fractions wordplay games probabilty volume digital products regular shapes perimeter factors matrices differentiation advent median sum to infinity doubling planes tournaments surds 3d shapes numbers grids perfect numbers combinatorics numbers sums

Archive

Show me a random puzzle
▼ show ▼
© Matthew Scroggs 2012–2025