justpuzzles

Matchsticks – the 3×3 square (1)

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Remove 8 matchsticks so that you have
1) 5 squares left
(2 solutions, can you find them both?)
2) 4 squares left
3) 3 squares left
(2 solutions, can you find them both?)
4) 2 squares left

Safety matches, as we know them now, are not very old- they date from 1850–55. They have given rise to a vast array of puzzles – even my modest puzzle library has at least two books entirely developed to matchstick puzzles. Puzzles, like many other topics, are a product of the culture in a certain age. After matchsticks are replaced by other means of making fire, these puzzles will disappear.

If you are puzzled, you can look up the solution solution 1,
solution 2,
solution 3,
solution 4

You can find more puzzles of this type in one of our e-books

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