Youll need to know the rules of chess for this one.
Did you miss last weeks puzzle?
Check it outhere, and find its solution at the bottom of todays article.
Image: Photo: Shutterstock Graphics: Vicky Leta
Be careful not to read too far ahead if you havent solved last weeks yet!
Position five queens in a five-by-five board, such that three squares are not attacked by any queen.
In the position below, find a move for white that does NOT cause an instant checkmate.
Composed by Karl FabelGraphic: Jack Murtagh
Karl Fabel, an ingenious and prolific chess composer, published this in 1952.
Ill be back next Monday with the answers and a new puzzle.
Do you know a cool puzzle that you think should be featured here?
Graphic: Jack Murtagh
You sell calendars without years written on them.
How many distinct calendar types must you keep in stock to cover all possible years?
When is the next year that people will use the 2023 calendar again?
What is the largest possible number of years that can pass between uses of the same calendar?
Find the answers below.
Shout-out to PeterE for sniping all of them and for calling the Gregorian calendar Greggys system.
There are 14 different calendars.
This results in 14 total possibilities.
2034 is the next time the 2023 calendar will be used again.
Every non-leap year that passes, the days shift forward by one.
This means December 31st was also a Sunday, leading to 2024 beginning with a Monday.
All non-leap years work like this.
After a leap year, the days shift forward by two because of the extra day.
The largest possible gap between uses of the same calendar is 40 years.
You wouldnt be alone if you came up with 28.
One huge exception can extend or shrink this number.
Years divisible by 100 skip a leap year (unless theyre divisible by 400).
2100, 2200, etc.
will not be leap years.
Consider the 2072 calendar: a leap year which begins on a Friday.
Wed have to continue 12 more years before repeating the 2072 calendar in 2112.
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