Play All Ten- The Daily Maths Game

All Ten is a maths game in which you must use the four numbers exactly once to make 1 through to 10. You are permitted to use all four basic operations as well as brackets. You are also permitted to form fractions and negatives throughout your expression. Furthermore, you can turn any expression into a new combination by pressing equals. You are also permitted to join numbers together, so in the above example, you could form the number 34.

Below is an example of how to form each of the numbers 1 through to 10 using the basic digits 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Your All Ten stats are recorded and these include daily streaks and how many times you have managed to obtain a perfect 10/10 score. There is a new All Ten to solve every day. Can you solve today’s? Play here: https://beastacademy.com/all-ten

Play Betweenle

Betweenle is yet another addictive variant of Wordle. Like in Wordle, the goal in Betweenle is to identify the mystery five-letter word. However, Betweenle is unique in that you are given feedback about where the mystery word is in alphabetical order, relative to you word. This is akin to the ordering of words in a dictionary. I have an example Betweenle game below.

First, I entered the word MADAM because this is roughly in the middle of the dictionary.

Now, after entering MADAM, I received the feedback that the mystery word is between AAAAA and MADAM in the dictionary. The numbers on the left tell me that the mystery word is 49% of the dictionary after AAAAA and 1.6% of the dictionary before MADAM.

I then decided to guess LARGE because I estimated that this was 1.6% of the dictionary before MADAM. However, the feedback told me that the mystery word is between LARGE and MADAM. Furthermore, it is 2.3% of the dictionary after LARGE and 1.6% of the dictionary after MADAM.

The game continues as you narrow the word range down and finally identify the mystery word. There is a new Betweenle to play every day. If you click on ‘levels’ on the main menu you can either practice the game or go through a levels variant of the game. Did you solve today’s Betweenle? Play Betweenle here: https://betweenle.com/.

Take The Human Benchmark Tests

The Human Benchmark website (https://humanbenchmark.com/) consists of eight different tests. After each test, you are presented with a score and a percentile. This enables you to see how you performed relative to other people who have taken each test.

The eight tests are:

Reaction time: You must click on the screen as soon as it turns from red to green.

Sequence memory: Squares in a 3 x 3 grid will light up in an increasingly long pattern. You must recall this sequence.

Aim trainer: A target will appear at different positions on your screen. Your challenge is to click on the 30 targets as quickly as possible. Note: this test is intended to be taken on a desktop or laptop.  

Number memory: You will be shown a one-digit number and you must remember it. You will then be shown a new two-digit number, then a new three-digit number etc.

Verbal memory test: You will be shown a series of words. Your task is to work out whether you have been shown each word before or not.

Chimp test: You will be shown a set of counting numbers. As soon as you click the first number, the remaining numbers will go invisible. You need to click the numbers in order, so you must remember where each number is located. This test is based on a study which found that chimpanzees outperform humans at this task. In fact, chimpanzees could recall where 9 numbers were located 90% of the time.

Visual memory test: Various patterns of squares are highlighted on increasingly large grids. You must remember where the highlighted squares are located.

Typing: you must type out a predetermined paragraph. You are measured on your typing speed.

Take the Human Benchmark tests here: https://humanbenchmark.com/. How did you perform?

Play Strands

The New York Times has introduced a new and addictive free game called Strands. The goal in Strands is to find words that fall within the daily theme. Words can be formed by connecting adjacent letters in any direction. Once you have found a valid theme word, those letter can no longer be used. You will also need to find the special word that unites all the theme words. This word is known as the spangram because it will link opposite sides of the board. Once you have found the spangram it will turn yellow. In the above solved example, the spangram was ‘INSTRUMENTS’. Some of the other words in the above Strands included GUITAR, PIANO and VIOLIN.

If you are struggling to solve a Strands, you can unlock the hint button by finding thee four-letter words that are not part of the theme. There is a new Strands to solve every day. Can you solve today’s Strands? Play it here: https://www.nytimes.com/games/strands.

Play Squaredle

Squaredle is yet another spin-off of the popular game Wordle. The objective in Squaredle is to find words by connecting letters up, down, right, left and diagonally. Your challenge is to find all of the words on the board. Once a letter has been completely used up, it will fade. Words must be four or more letters long, with longer words earning you more points. Hyphenated and capitalised words don’t count, while archaic, slang and obscure words are considered ‘bonus’ words. There is a Squaredle leaderboard and lots of stats to compare your performance to other players around the world. There is a new Squaredle to play every day. How many words can you find in today’s Squaredle? Play here: https://squaredle.app/

Play Puzz Grid Battle

I have a new obsession. Its name is Puzz Grid Battle.

Puzz Grid Battle is akin to a multiplayer, competitive version of the NYT Connections puzzle. You are presented with a 4 x 4 grid and you must click on four items that all have something in common. The twist with Puzz Grid Battle is that you are playing the same grid as somebody else, in real time. If your opponent identifies a group, it is removed from the board. This continues until all four groups have been selected. You earn 1 point for each group you select. If you select the third group, (the fourth group is selected automatically, as it’s the only group remaining), you will earn a bonus point.

You must then type what each group has in common. You earn a point for each commonality you identify. The player with the most points wins. The game has implemented a rating system, so if you win, you will earn a higher rating. You don’t need to make an account to play. The game is currently utilising a beta version, so things may change.

After spending longer than I wish to admit playing Puzz Grid Battle, I have identified some tips to help you:

1. The game is more akin to the Only Connect Connecting Wall than the NYT Connections game. This means groups are often words hidden within words. For example, harm, legend, nosey and tomatoes all contain parts of the body: arm, leg, nose and toes.

2. You can see what your opponent is guessing. If you are stuck, this may be useful in working out a category.

3. When you have to name the groups, the board is transparent. Use this time to look at the groups you haven’t worked out. Furthermore, when you are typing a connection, wait until the last few seconds to press enter, so you can work out another group you are unsure of.

4. When you have to name the groups, if you are unsure what the group is, it’s often a good idea just to type one of the words within the group. Another tactic if you are unsure what the group is- type several words that it could be ie: synonyms, movies, actors. The game will accept your answer as long as just one word is correct.

5. If the group is synonyms, rather than think up a new synonym that the computer may not accept, you are permitted to type one of the four synonyms listed.

6. I believe the game currently has a single flaw- solving the third group earns the player two points. You can use this to your advantage (although it is unsporting). After the first group has been solved, you can wait for your opponent to solve the second group before you solve the third group for two points. I personally don’t utilise this tactic because I think it’s unfair; however, occasionally when I play Puzz Grid, the opponent seems to. I hope Puzz Grid can fix this ‘loophole’ and award the person who solves the third group just one point.

7. If you are down to the last two groups, try to find at least two items with something vaguely in common and then cycle around making guesses utilising the remaining combinations. There are only so many options and you will likely solve the grid this way.

At present, Puzz Grid Battle is only available to play from 8 PM GMT until around 1 AM GMT. If you can’t play the game now, see if you can solve the grid pictured at the top of this post. The interactive version of this grid can be played here: https://puzzgrid.com/grid/52967. This grid was created by MisterEtc. I particularly enjoyed playing it.

Puzz Grid Battle can be played here: https://puzzgrid.com/battle.

Scroll down for the answer.

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Answer: This is the solution to the grid at the top of this post.

The categories are

1. All represented by a V.
2. All represented by a E.
3. All represented by an X.
4. All represented by an I.

Puzz Grid Battle can be played here: https://puzzgrid.com/battle.

A Puzzle to Annoy Your Friends and Family

This puzzle is best presented in person as an interactive puzzle. Nonetheless, I will present it here. See if you can solve it.

Your challenge is to work out the rule for what touches and what doesn’t touch.

Apples = touch, Oranges = don’t touch

Tables = touch, Chairs = don’t touch

Plants = touch, Trees = don’t touch

Slim = touch, Thin = don’t touch

Bicycles = touch, Cars = don’t touch

America = touch, Australia = don’t touch

Scroll down for a clue and further down for the answer.

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Clue: Pronounce the words aloud.

Scroll down for the answer.

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Answer: The rule is that something touches if your lips touch when you pronounce the word. Something doesn’t touch if your lips don’t touch when you pronounce the word.

This puzzle is best presented in person. Give the person/people you are presenting the puzzle to a few examples of what touches and what doesn’t touch. After these few examples, ask them to name words and you can tell them whether or not they touch.

The image below shows where certain sounds are produced within your mouth. If you read the words from left to right, the highlighted letters will be pronounced progressively further back in your mouth.

Play Word Peaks

Word Peaks, created by @vegeta897, is yet another creative variant of the popular game Wordle. Like in Wordle, in Word Peaks your goal is to guess the mystery five-letter word. After each guess, the tiles in your word will turn one of three colours:

• Green denotes that your letter is the correct letter in the correct position.
• Orange (pointing upwards) denotes that your letter is too early in the alphabet.
• Blue (pointing downwards) denotes that your letter is too late in the alphabet.

The letter range that you need to guess for each letter will appear on that tile in your subsequent guesses.

Despite the obvious similarities to Wordle, Word Peaks requires a very different strategy and thinking process. There is a new daily Word Peaks to solve every day. In addition, there are unlimited Word Peaks to play. Can you solve today’s Word Peaks? Play here: wordpeaks.com

Play CoWordle!

I have recently become obsessed with playing CoWordle. At its essence, CoWordle has made the individualistic game of Wordle into a competitive, multiplayer pastime. There are two modes in CoWordle- aptly named mode 1 and mode 2.

Mode 1

Mode 1 involves two players trying to guess the same mystery word by taking turns. You make a guess and your opponent sees your guess and what squares are highlighted yellow and green and makes their guess accordingly. This process goes back and forth until someone guesses the mystery word. There are some tactics at play here. For example, you don’t want to guess words that will narrow down the possible word pool to a single word.

Mode 2

Mode 2 is my preferred CoWordle version. In this variant, two players are trying to guess the same mystery word on different boards. This means that you can only see your guesses and your opponent can only see their guesses (although you can see how many tiles they have that are yellow and green, but not what letters they are). The game is classical Wordle; however, the goal is to guess the word before your opponent. It doesn’t matter if you take 6 guesses, as long as you are faster than your opponent. Mode 2 is extreme, fast-paced Wordle. I find that it’s advantageous to play on a laptop with a keyboard in which you can type at a faster speed than perhaps on your phone. My general tactic is to play SOARE, CLINT, HUMPY (or BUMPY- depending on if the C comes up). After typing these words as quickly as possible, I try to guess the mystery word. I recommend Mode 2 if you like thinking quickly.

Both modes can be played with a complete stranger, who you will be automatically paired up with. Alternatively, you can send a friend the link and you can challenge them. Play CoWordle here- https://cowordle.org/

The 10 Country Sport Rankings Under 150 Game

In the 10 Country Sport Rankings Under 150 game, your challenge is to assign 10 random countries to 10 different sports so that the total ranking is less than 150. The game was created by Austin Krance, who attempts it daily on TikTok.

The 10 sports are always the same: basketball, baseball (and softball), badminton (singles and doubles), cricket, hockey (field and ice), gymnastics, rugby (league, union and sevens), football (aka soccer), tennis (singles and doubles) and volleyball (beach and indoor). If there are multiple sports in one category, your assigned ranking will always be the lowest number. The categories also cover both men’s and women’s sport and the lowest of these rankings will automatically be selected.

Ten national flags will be generated, one at a time, and you must assign that country to a sport. In the above example, Papua New Guinea must be assigned to one of the 10 sports. You must use your general knowledge and logic skills to assign it to the sport that it has the best (or near best) rank in. Papua New Guinea are a good rugby nation so in this example, assigning the country to rugby might be the best move. Another country will then be generated and you must assign that country to another sport (you can’t assign it to the same sport as Papua New Guinea). The accumulative ranking of all ten countries must be 150 or less for you to win.

Each set of 10 countries does have at least one valid combination that will result in a total ranking that is less than 150.

There is a new daily game ever day that can be played here: https://austinkrance.com/pages/daily-game

There is also an unlimited version of the game, that has three modes, that can be played here: https://austinkrance.com/pages/games

Can you score under 150 in today’s daily game?