HowToDoThings.com Recent Puzzles & Brain Teasers Articles

How To Play Sudoku

garrett — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:37:40 -0500

Sudoku is a not a game involving math but a game of numbers. You don't really have to work out calculations or do complex algebra. This game requires logic and an elementary degree of deductive reasoning. The main aim of the puzzle is to fill all the blank squares with correct numbers, but with rules to follow. For example in a nine by nine grid each row and column of nine numbers must have all digits from one to nine in any order and every three by three section of the nine by nine square should include all digits from one to nine. Each row and column in the total grid and in the smaller 3x3 boxes should also contain numbers from 1 to 9, without any number being repeated. Likewise simpler four by four Sudoku grids must have the numbers one to four in each row, column and boxes and this will increase depending on the number of squares.

How To Win at Tic Tac Toe

Cassandra — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:27:05 -0500

Tic Tac Toe may be your answer to killing time and doing away with boredom, but you still want to win. Follow these tips and you can win almost every time.

How To Solve a Sudoku

Cassandra — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:25:45 -0500

Sudoku is a great puzzle game that you can use to keep your mind sharp. The rules are simple and all you need to know is that the puzzle is about finding patterns and filling in the missing pieces. All you need is to follow these steps and you can solve a Sudoku puzzle.

How To Solve a Rubik's Cube

eenge — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:24:31 -0600

This article will present a beginner's guide to learning the Rubik's cube. Follow the steps in this guide, and you should be able to solve the cube reliably. It will take time and practice to become fast, but you will be in a position to solve those cubes at your friends' houses that have been sitting on the bookshelf unsolved for the last 6 years.

How To Benefit From Educational Puzzles

Robin103 — Tue, 16 May 2006 07:19:00 -0500

Educational puzzles are a very effective way to turn learning into fun. A child who resists traditional educational approaches may embrace learning through educational puzzles. Adults can continue learning their whole lives by challenging themselves with puzzles that stretch their minds. Try some of these ideas if you are looking to reap the benefits of educational puzzles.

Even the very youngest children can benefit from educational puzzles. Wooden puzzles that are cut into shapes can teach children about shapes and colors. Often these puzzles have knobs on them that allow little ones to easily handle them.

Also, shape sorters are a type of puzzle for little ones. The very simplest ones have only squares, circles and triangles. More complicated shape sorters have additional shapes, such as diamonds and octagons, to further challenge small children.

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How To Get Better at Crossword Puzzles

Carrie122 — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 07:26:00 -0500

Crossword puzzles can be addictive, relaxing, and entertaining, but they can also be frustrating! Agonizing over a seemingly impossible clue can lead even the most seasoned crossword lover to aggravation. If you're interested in crossword puzzles but not sure how to improve your odds at solving them, there are a few things to remember to keep your stress levels from skyrocketing.

You don't have to start with "1 Across." Start off by scanning the clues quickly and filling in the answers that you know right off the top of your head. Then start working on the sections where you've got one or two words filled in so you'll have some letters to work around.
If the puzzle has a theme or catch phrase at the top, keep that in mind when reading the clues. The New York Times crosswords are famous for working their themes into the most unlikely places--even short little answers can be related somehow.

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How To Solve a Riddle

Brian197 — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 10:36:00 -0500

Riddles are a centuries-old challenge and have passed the test of time by virtue of how imaginative and fun they can be. The form of riddles has evolved over time, and today's riddles generally rely upon double-meaning and word-play. Without a little bit of skill and luck, riddles can be frustrating, but here are some helpful hints and a few sample riddles that will hopefully help you unlock your inner riddle-master!

How To Change a Picture Into a Puzzle

Brian197 — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 23:43:00 -0500

Making puzzles is a great and fun activity for kids to do. Especially when that puzzle is of a picture they personally feel connected to. If you would like to make your very own puzzle to solve, all you need to do is follow a few easy steps.

How To Make a Crossword Puzzle

Brian197 — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 23:27:00 -0500

Crosswords are fun and simple to create. All you need to in order to create a crossword puzzle is a spreadsheet and your imagination.

Crosswords are basically a list of clues, that correlate to boxes on a grid. Each box in the grid is equivalent to one letter of a word. By solving a clue and finding the correct word, you fill the word into the corresponding boxes on the chart. The trick to crosswords, is that words cross. Words can be constructed both on the vertical and horiztonal axis, since the puzzle is set up like a spread sheet. This means that two words will intersect, and they must be sharing the exact same letter in this location.

Upon completing a crossword puzzle, you should be able to verify the correct answers by making sure all words fit in the appropriate gird and properly share the same letters on intersections.

How To Solve Logic Puzzles

Brian197 — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 22:21:00 -0500

Logic puzzles come in literally hundreds of different shapes and sizes, but they all have very one simple thing in common: an answer can be obtained if you work through it slowly and carefully. Logic puzzles may seem overwhelming and frustrating at times, but answers can be worked out if you pay close attention to details and clues, and search for wording that is meant to trick or mislead you.

The basic logic problem that we have all faced at one point or another usually features a couple of people of interest. Each has a different name, each did a different activity, and maybe each ate a different thing. Through clues, you can discover all the various names, activities and meals, but the real trick of this logic puzzle is to determine which individual did and ate what.

How To Solve Sudoku Puzzles

Carrie122 — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 08:38:00 -0500

Sudoku is a number game that has become insanely popular with puzzle enthusiasts. The Sudoku board is a 9 x 9 grid divided into 9 blocks (of 9 squares each). Each of the 81 total squares must be filled in so that every row, column, and block uses the numbers 1 to 9 only once. A few numbers are provided, and you must use these to figure out the placement of the remaining numbers.

There are a few tips and techniques that you can use to help solve Sudoku puzzles. Try them and see how well you fare!