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Puzzle 1 



Greenjack Round #2 - Logic Puzzles

You find yourself playing a game with your friend.

It is played with a deck of only 16 cards, divided into 4 suits:

   Red, Blue, Orange, and Green.

There are four cards in each suit:

   Ace, King, Queen, and Jack.

All Aces outrank all Kings, which outrank all Queens, which outrank all Jacks — except for the Green Jack, which outranks every other card.

If two cards have the same face value, then Red outranks Blue, which outranks Orange, which outranks Green, again except for the Green Jack, which outranks everything.

Here's how the game is played: you are dealt one card face up, and your friend is dealt one card face down. Your friend then makes some true statements, and you have to work out who has the higher card, you or your friend. It's that simple!

Round 2:
You are dealt the Blue King and your friend makes three statements:

My card would beat a Green King.
Knowing this, if my card is more likely to be a Jack than a Queen, then my card is actually a King. Otherwise, it isn't.
Given all of the information you now know, if my card is more likely to beat yours than not, then my card is Red card. Otherwise, it isn't.
Who has the higher card, you or your friend?

Puzzle Copyright © E.J. Shamblen

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Answer
You.

Reasoning
You were dealt the Blue King.

The possible cards, in order, are:
   Green Jack
   Red Ace
   Blue Ace
   Orange Ace
   Green Ace
   Red King
   Blue King (your card)
   Orange King
   Green King
   Red Queen
   Blue Queen
   Orange Queen
   Green Queen
   Red Jack
   Blue Jack
   Orange Jack

By (1), your friend's card is higher than the Green King, so your friend can only have one of the following cards:

   Green Jack
   Red Ace
   Blue Ace
   Orange Ace
   Green Ace
   Red King
   Blue King (your card)
   Orange King

By (2), their card is more likely to be a Jack (1) than a Queen (0), so their card is a King. Leaving:

   Red King
   Blue King (your card)
   Orange King

By (3), only 1 could beat your card, so it is not more likely to beat yours, therefore their card is not Red. Leaving:

   Blue King (your card)
   Orange King

So your friend must have the Orange King, which your card beats.

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Puzzle 2 



Which of the seven black shapes is identical to the red one?

There may be more than one which is exactly the same.

Puzzle Copyright © Robert A. Hartmann

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Answer
B, E, and G.

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Puzzle 3 



Below you will find 15 well-known six-letter words, with only their endings remaining.

Can you find the words?
---amt ---nue ---rtz ---oze ---mth ---iek ---gry ---thm ---koo ---spy ---sip ---lem ---uid ---tyr ---meg

Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone

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Answer
---amt = dreamt ---nue = avenue ---rtz = quartz ---oze = snooze ---mth = warmth ---iek = shriek ---gry = hungry ---thm = rhythm ---koo = cuckoo ---spy = crispy ---sip = gossip ---lem = emblem ---uid = liquid ---tyr = martyr ---meg = nutmeg

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Puzzle 4 



What day would tomorrow be if...

...yesterday was five days before the day after Sunday's tomorrow?

Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone

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Answer
Saturday.

Reasoning
It's best to work backwards:

   "Sunday's tomorrow"

is Monday.

   "the day after Sunday's tomorrow"

is therefore Tuesday.

   "five days before the day after Sunday's tomorrow"

is therefore Thursday.

   "yesterday was five days before the day after Sunday's tomorrow"

yesterday was Thursday, making today Friday. Therefore tomorrow is Saturday.

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