Classic logic puzzles
Some puzzles have been passed around for centuries because they are easy to explain and hard to put down. This page gathers nine of the best known, each as a set of seven puzzles that run from a gentle start to a real head-scratcher. They are not daily puzzles: play them whenever you like, at your own pace.
- 9 games
- Play any time
- New River CrossingGet everyone across the river without breaking a single rule.
- New Water JugsMeasure exactly the right amount with jugs that have no markings.
- New Tower of HanoiMove the tower one disc at a time, never a bigger disc on a smaller one.
- New Frogs and ToadsSwap the frogs and the toads across the lily pads without getting stuck.
- New Balance ScaleFind the fake coin with a balance scale in as few weighings as possible.
- New Peg SolitaireJump pegs off the board until only one is left.
- New Knight SwapSwap the white and black knights on a small board in the fewest moves.
- New Eight QueensPlace the queens on the chessboard so that none can attack another.
- New Pancake StackSort the stack of pancakes with a spatula in as few flips as you can.
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River Crossing has the farmer with a wolf, a sheep and a cabbage. Water Jugs asks for exact amounts from jugs with no markings, and the Tower of Hanoi moves a tower one disc at a time. Frogs and Toads swaps two groups across a row of lily pads, and Balance Scale finds the fake coin in as few weighings as possible. Peg Solitaire jumps pegs until one is left, Knight Swap trades places with chess knights, Eight Queens places queens that never attack each other, and Pancake Stack sorts a stack with a spatula.
Every puzzle has been solved by a program before it was added, so the page always knows the fewest moves it takes. Matching that earns three stars, and your stars and best results are saved in your browser on this device. Each game also has a guide with the thinking behind it and solutions to read once you have had a go.
Guides and strategy
- River Crossing Puzzles: SolutionsHow to solve the classic river crossing puzzles: the wolf, sheep and cabbage, the night bridge, shepherds and wolves, the family raft, with each solution.6 min read
- Water Jug Puzzles: SolutionsHow to solve water jug puzzles: measure 4 litres with a 3 and a 5 litre jug, share a barrel into fair halves, and every other puzzle step by step.6 min read
- Tower of Hanoi: How to Solve ItHow to solve the Tower of Hanoi: the simple rule behind the fewest moves, the move counts for three to eight discs, and four peg and mixed start solutions.5 min read
- Frogs and Toads Puzzle: SolutionHow to solve the frogs and toads puzzle: the pattern that swaps any number of frogs and toads, why it always takes the same moves, and the full solution.4 min read
- The Twelve Coin Puzzle: SolutionHow to find a fake coin with a balance scale: three way splits, the famous twelve coin puzzle in three weighings, and thirteen coins with a spare.6 min read
- Peg Solitaire: How to Solve ItHow to solve peg solitaire: the habits that leave one peg, and solutions for the cross, the plus, the triangle of 15 holes and the full 33-hole board.5 min read
- Knight Swap Puzzles: SolutionsHow to solve knight swap puzzles: the ring trick behind Guarini’s puzzle of 1512, and the fewest moves for every board, from one knight each to eight.5 min read
- The Eight Queens Puzzle: SolutionsHow to solve the eight queens puzzle: placing queens one row at a time, what to do at a dead end, and solutions for every board from 4 × 4 to 8 × 8.4 min read
- Pancake Sorting: How to Flip LessHow to sort a stack of pancakes with a spatula in the fewest flips: the simple method, the better one, burnt pancakes, and every stack in the game solved.5 min read
More game categories
- Word gamesTwelve free daily word games: two crosswords, guessing games, a word ladder, word wheel, word search, Four Groups, Word Scramble and Cryptogram.
- Number gamesEleven free daily number puzzles: sudoku, Killer Sudoku, Calcudoku, Kakuro, Futoshiki, Skyscrapers, Hitori, Number Path, an arithmetic target and more.
- Logic gamesFree logic puzzles: nineteen daily boards, from picture logic, crowns, mines and bridges to Nurikabe and loops, plus river crossings and Tower of Hanoi.
- Card gamesTwelve free card games: six solitaire deals and Mahjong Solitaire every day, plus Call Break, Hearts, Spades, Crazy Eights and Gin Rummy against robots.
- Arcade gamesFifteen free browser games to play any time: 3D basketball, penalties, archery, air hockey and stacking, plus racing, bowling, darts, pinball and Snake.
- Board gamesSeventeen free board games: chess, checkers, reversi, Ludo, Backgammon, Dominoes, Mancala and more, against a robot, on one device or online with friends.
- QuizzesFifty-nine free daily quizzes: world capitals, flags, birds, dinosaurs, science, history, books, idioms, spelling and fractions. Ten questions a day.