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White to Play
There’s only one first move that wins. It’s one of the most important K+P endgames you can study.
View solutionHindmate
Enter words into the following word chain such that each pair of words in the chain forms a compound word. No word can appear in the chain more than one time. Each "?" represents a missing word. Example: girl ? ? shape = girl friend ship shape = girlfriend friendship shipshape.
hind ? back ? ? up ? ? work ? ? step ? ? ? mate
View full teaser and answerLing O'Tool
Each of the following clues describes two words. One of the words is a type of construction tool. The other word is that tool with one of the following changes: a letter added anywhere (awl bawl), a letter deleted anywhere (plane plan), a letter changed anywhere (giblet gimlet). There is no rearrangement of the other letters. No tool is used more than once.
1) This is a sage tool.
2) This is a dancing tool.
3) This is a grieving tool.
4) This is a tool that is used to dry things.
5) This tool is used for defamation.
6) This tool is a cooking utensil.
7) This tool is a local magistrate.
8) This tool is used to keep a mollusk from opening its shell...

White to Play
Another rollicking King’s Gambit from the old days. Both sides get their hacks in. White has one move to successfully continue the attack and one move that loses. Choose wisely. (this is a test run as we are having some technical difficulties.)
View solutionBaseball Organs
What saying is hidden in this rebus?
Playing at first base is Bert Kidney.
Playing at second base is Ernie Liver.
Playing at third base is Tom Stomach.
Playing at shortstop is Jerry Pancreas.
Playing behind home plate is Felix Heart.
On the mound is Oscar Lung.
Give an Inch, Take a Mile
Change MILE to INCH by changing one letter at a time. Each change must produce a valid word in the English language. But there is a catch. You must make the change by going through YARD and FOOT. No word can be used more than once. Remember ... you may have to use several new words to get between each one below!
MILE ---- YARD ---- FOOT ---- INCH
View full teaser and answerWord Progression
What is the next word in this series? Choose from the pool.
deal, ether, pant, wrath, realty, ?
Pool: archery, canteen, leopard, pollute, snapper, tractor
View full teaser and answerKnow Your Spazy Croonerisms?
A spoonerism is a pair of words that can have their initial sounds switched to form new words. The pairs need only sound the same, not necessarily be spelled the same (power saw & sour paw, horse cart & coarse heart). There may sometimes be one or two connecting words (kick the stone & stick the cone, king of the rats & ring of the cats). Given the following definitions, what are the spoonerisms?
1) a circular depression & a part for a canine actor
2) a container for an alcoholic beverage & an insignificant insect
3) a container for a container & the bottom of a coffin
4) a cunning wolf relative & insect foot coverings
Anagram Riddle - Three Words
I am a set of three words, all with the same six letters.
First I am a kingdom, though not royally so.
Then spell me backwards, and I become a thin plate.
Now rearrange my consonants, leaving my vowels in place ...
I am now a type of paper.
What are the words?
View full teaser and answerOne Letter of Separation
Each group of three definitions describes three words that are spelled the same, except for one letter (each group describes a different set of words). Example: king, ring, wing.
1a) a bone in the leg
1b) arboreal mammal, common to Madagascar
1c) to take exception or object
2a) a mixture of liquids, as for medicine
2b) a liquid preparation for cosmetic use
2c) an opinion or view
3a) something having a spiral or twisted form
3b) to hold back or restrain
3c) the thick part of coagulated milk
4a) to beat or damage with repeated blows
4b) to trade by exchange of goods
4c) good-natured witty joking
Vegetable-ectomy
Six words have had their vegetables removed. The vegetables have been placed into Group A. The remaining letters of each word have been placed into Group B. Your task is to reconstitute the words by merging each vegetable with the proper set of letters. Other than merging the two groups together, there is no rearranging of the letters. Example: sand + pne = spanned (SpANneD).
Group A: bean, beet, corn, kale, pea, radish
Group B: acdio, bning, lieb, nfi, rthig, scagot
More Spazy Croonerisms
A spoonerism is a pair of words that can have their initial sounds switched to form new words. The pairs need only sound the same, not necessarily be spelled the same (power saw & sour paw, horse cart & coarse heart). There may sometimes be one or two connecting words (kick the stone & stick the cone, king of the rats & ring of the cats). Given the following definitions, what are the spoonerisms?
1) punched when starting work & discussion about scaling a mountain
2) a container of fibs & a shortage of baked goods
3) hasty vacation & prank gibe
4) a mongoose & artificial precipitation
Waisthole
Enter words into the following word chain such that each pair of words in the chain forms a compound word. No word can appear in the chain more than one time. Each "?" represents a missing word. Example: girl ? ? shape = girl friend ship shape = girlfriend friendship shipshape.
waist ? tail ? ? side ? ? fall ? ? down ? ? spring ? ? ? hole
View full teaser and answerFish Lingo
Each of the following clues describes two words. One of the words is a type of fish. The other word is that fish with one of the following changes: a letter added anywhere (eel reel), a letter deleted anywhere (carp cap), a letter changed anywhere (shark spark). There is no rearrangement of the other letters. No fish is used more than once.
1) This is a metallic fish.
2) This is a medical fish.
3) This is a frozen fish.
4) This is a fish that removes chaff from grain.
5) This is a fish that sinks.
6) This is a musical instrument that is played by a fish in a marching band.
7) This is clothing for a fish.
8) This is what you get when you cross a ...
Five Siblings
Five siblings are they, their color is true;
One belongs to one, four are shared by two.
Connected together, some by locks;
Many meet their fate upon the rocks.
Arrange their initials, and you should
Find things that are found in a neighborhood.
What has just been described?
View full teaser and answer
White to Play
Our second summer school puzzle on king and pawn endings. White’s task here is to take great care about leaving the “queening square” for Black, the four corners of which are d4-d1-f1-f4. If the white king is outside that “square” then the black pawn on d4 will queen, so you better have a good plan to win.
View solutionOlympic Swim Team
Five swimmers (Adam, Brad, Carl, Doug, and Eric) have been preparing for the Olympics. It is now time for the swimming time trials. The five swimmers each compete in the four different strokes (backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle). The top three finishers in each event will qualify for the Olympic swim team in that stroke. Using the following clues, determine the order of finish in each of the four strokes.
1) Only one contestant qualified in all four strokes.
2) No contestant finished last in more than one event.
3) Adam finished better in the backstroke than he did in the butterfly.
4) Brad finished better than Doug in the butterfly.
5...
Alphabetically Challenged
What is the meaning of this rebus?
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQUSTRVWXYZ
View full teaser and answer
White to Play
As the school year is ending, we often do a summer school of basic yet often challenging lessons on endgames as we have found that endgames are the weakest part of most chess players’ learning. Today’s position is from an actual game from over a hundred years ago. Beware the stalemate threat. White should win this.
View solutionWord Fusion
Each statement describes two words that when fused together create a new unrelated word (not a compound word). The clues do not necessarily indicate in which order the two words are attached. Example: This is the oldness of a tablet (pill + age = pillage).
1) This is a child of the ocean.
2) This is when an insect runs away to get married.
3) This is the monotone melody of a writing instrument.
4) This is the charge for setting a fractured bone.