329.—­THE STAR PUZZLE.

The illustration explains itself.  The stars are all struck out in fourteen straight strokes, starting and ending at a white star.

[Illustration]

330.—­THE YACHT RACE.

The diagram explains itself.  The numbers will show the direction of the lines in their proper order, and it will be seen that the seventh course ends at the flag-buoy, as stipulated.

[Illustration]

331.—­THE SCIENTIFIC SKATER.

In this case we go beyond the boundary of the square.  Apart from that, the moves are all queen moves.  There are three or four ways in which it can be done.

Here is one way of performing the feat:—­

[Illustration]

It will be seen that the skater strikes out all the stars in one continuous journey of fourteen straight lines, returning to the point from which he started.  To follow the skater’s course in the diagram it is necessary always to go as far as we can in a straight line before turning.

332.—­THE FORTY-NINE STARS.

The illustration shows how all the stars may be struck out in twelve straight strokes, beginning and ending at a black star.

[Illustration]

333.—­THE QUEEN’S JOURNEY.

The correct solution to this puzzle is shown in the diagram by the dark line.  The five moves indicated will take the queen the greatest distance that it is possible for her to go in five moves, within the conditions.  The dotted line shows the route that most people suggest, but it is not quite so long as the other.  Let us assume that the distance from the centre of any square to the centre of the next in the same horizontal or vertical line is 2 inches, and that the queen travels from the centre of her original square to the centre of the one at which she rests.  Then the first route will be found to exceed 67.9 inches, while the dotted route is less than 67.8 inches.  The difference is small, but it is sufficient to settle the point as to the longer route.  All other routes are shorter still than these two.

[Illustration]

334.—­ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON.

We select for the solution of this puzzle one of the prettiest designs that can be formed by representing the moves of the knight by lines from square to square.  The chequering of the squares is omitted to give greater clearness.  St. George thus slays the Dragon in strict accordance with the conditions and in the elegant manner we should expect of him.

[Illustration:  St. George and the Dragon.]

335.—­FARMER LAWRENCE’S CORNFIELDS.

There are numerous solutions to this little agricultural problem.  The version I give in the next column is rather curious on account of the long parallel straight lines formed by some of the moves.

[Illustration:  Farmer Lawrence’s Cornfields.]

336.—­THE GREYHOUND PUZZLE.