218.—­THE VICTORIA CROSS PUZZLE.

[Illustration: 

+---------------------+
|     \...  A .../     |
| (I)  |.......|  (V) |
|\_____|_______|_____/|
|......|       |------|
|..  R .|       |.  I ..|
|......|       |......|
| _____|_______|_____ |
|/     |.......|     \|
| (O)  |..  T ..|  (C) |
|     /.........\     |
+---------------------+

]

The puzzle-maker is peculiarly a “snapper-up of unconsidered trifles,” and his productions are often built up with the slenderest materials.  Trivialities that might entirely escape the observation of others, or, if they were observed, would be regarded as of no possible moment, often supply the man who is in quest of posers with a pretty theme or an idea that he thinks possesses some “basal value.”

When seated opposite to a lady in a railway carriage at the time of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, my attention was attracted to a brooch that she was wearing.  It was in the form of a Maltese or Victoria Cross, and bore the letters of the word VICTORIA.  The number and arrangement of the letters immediately gave me the suggestion for the puzzle which I now present.

The diagram, it will be seen, is composed of nine divisions.  The puzzle is to place eight counters, bearing the letters of the word VICTORIA, exactly in the manner shown, and then slide one letter at a time from black to white and white to black alternately, until the word reads round in the same direction, only with the initial letter V on one of the black arms of the cross.  At no time may two letters be in the same division.  It is required to find the shortest method.

Leaping moves are, of course, not permitted.  The first move must obviously be made with A, I, T, or R. Supposing you move T to the centre, the next counter played will be O or C, since I or R cannot be moved.  There is something a little remarkable in the solution of this puzzle which I will explain.

219.—­THE LETTER BLOCK PUZZLE.

[Illustration: 

+-----+-----+-----+\
|     |     |     | |
|  G  |  E  |  F  | |
|     |     |     | |
+-----+-----+-----+\|
|     |     |     | |
|  H  |  C  |  B  | |
|     |     |     | |
+-----+-----+-----+\|
|     |\____|     | |
|  D  ||    |  A  | |
|     ||    |     | |
+-----+-----+-----+ |
\_________________\|

]

Here is a little reminiscence of our old friend the Fifteen Block Puzzle.  Eight wooden blocks are lettered, and are placed in a box, as shown in the illustration.  It will be seen that you can only move one block at a time to the place vacant for the time being, as no block may be lifted out of the box.  The puzzle is to shift them about until you get them in the order—­

A   B   C
D   E   F
G   H

This you will find by no means difficult if you are allowed as many moves as you like.  But the puzzle is to do it in the fewest possible moves.  I will not say what this smallest number of moves is, because the reader may like to discover it for himself.  In writing down your moves you will find it necessary to record no more than the letters in the order that they are shifted.  Thus, your first five moves might be C, H, G, E, F; and this notation can have no possible ambiguity.  In practice you only need eight counters and a simple diagram on a sheet of paper.