mrcHSTicit

/ PITIES, x
4 mens & 4
4 QfflES *

By Gilbert Obermair

STERLING PUBLISHING CO., INC. new york

7ree C&-, L-teC London & Sydney

 OTHER BOOKS OF INTEREST

Calculator Puzzles, Tricks and Games Eye Teasers

Code Games Junior Magic
101 Best Magic Tricks

Hokus Pokus: Coin Tricks

Hokus Pokus: Rope & Scarf Tricks

Drawings by Holger Majoran

Translated by Manly Banister
Adapted by Louisa Bumagin Hellegers

Copyright © 1977 by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

Two Park Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016
Distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Oak Tree Press Co., Ltd.,
P.O. Box J34, Brickfield Hill, Sydney 2000, N.S.W.
Distributed in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the British Commonwealth
by Ward Lock Ltd., 116 Baker Street, London W 1
Originally published in Germany under the title “Streichholz-Spielereien”
© 1975 by Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich.
Manufactured in the United States of America
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 77-79510
Sterling ISBN 0-8069-4564-8 Trade Oak Tree 7061-2568-1
4565-6 Library
Contents
1. Do You Have a Match?......................................... 6

2. Word Games.......................................................... 9

3. Calculus Lectures................................................... 12
4. About Squares...................................................18

5. About Triangles.................................................. 27
6. About Rhombuses and Rhomboids . . . .36
7. A Visit with a Shepherd....................................... 42
8. Box Tricks.............................................................. 46
9. Matchstick Magic............................................. 49

10. Micromagic........................................................ 57
11. Thinking Division and Dividing Thoughts. . 70

12. The Ancient Romans............................................. 76

13. Clearance Sale...................................................84

14. The Solutions........................................................ 94

Index........................................................................ 144
I. Do You Have a Match?

Take a box of matches to start with. Have you ever

reflected upon what a secret treasure you hold there in
your hand? Scratch a match—and it lights. In less than
one second and for a fraction of a penny.
Our ancestors did not have it so simple. They used
two sticks, a great deal of exercise, and, above all,
persistence. They had to rub the sticks together until the
kindling temperature of the wood was reached. Then
they had to take a piece of dry tinder from a tree, lay it
on the hot, smoking sticks and blow on it until it caught
fire. Variations of this method are still being used today
by native tribes in Africa and South America. Some­
times it takes hours to obtain the desired result. What
an agony for the fellow sitting by, waiting to light
his pipe!
6
 It was a long way from this first fire-maker to the use
of a piece of flint to strike fire. With this, the spark that
flew off set fire to the dry tinder. It was an even longer
way through the development of various chemical fire
lighters to that so-called “sulphur match” with its
poisonous phosphorus head.
It was not until 1848 that the Frankfurt chemistry
professor Rudolph Christian Boettger (1806-1881)
invented what he called a “safety match” in which a
non-dangerous red phosphorus match was scratched
against a specially prepared striking surface. However,
when nobody in Germany wanted anything to do with
this invention, the rights were bought up by a Swede
and further developed in the next seven years by
J. E. Lundstrom, who invented the safety match as we
know it and at the same time first made the telescoping
box to contain them. By 1903, the dangerous phosphorus
matches were forbidden and Boettger’s and Lundstrom’s
safety matches began their victory march around the
world known as “Swedish matches.” Not only were
safety matches a better and less expensive way of making
fire, but also the little matchbox provided a box for
games, as we shall see in this book.
The first thing to do before trying out any of the
puzzles in this book is to light all the matches, one by
one, and blow them out quickly. Now you have a
number of matchsticks with burnt heads which cannot
go off and burn you when you are playing with them.
7
To light a match, you should not strike it down the
length of the striking surface (on the box). Trixor the
magician has convinced me that by doing so, you wear
out the striking surfaces very quickly. It suffices to strike
the match across the width of the striking surface.
Now, get ready—the fun begins!

8
2. Word Games

Strangely, many serious people have the most fun

playing matchstick games. This is because solving the
problems involves thinking. But, surely this adds to the
fun you can have with these enjoyable puzzles and tricks
which, like so many old jokes, get passed on by word of
mouth—or rather by movement of hand!
Before we begin, note that the problems, whose solu­
tions you will find at the back of the book, are not given
here in continuous numerical order. Otherwise, when
you look up a solution, the solution to the next problem
would be staring you in the eye.
Now, turn the page and start with a very simple game.
9
The Happy Pig

The picture here shows a sad pig, made up of 15|

matchsticks. See if you can turn it into a happy pig by
simply changing the position of 3| matchsticks.

See solution 149.

Do you have the idea? Now, let’s begin with some

simple word games.

The Secret Beloved

Joan is the daughter of a sly old magician. Lay
out her lovely name on the table using 13 matchsticks.

10
 Now move 5 matchsticks, and see if you can spell the
name of her secret beloved.
See solution 97.

Discover Words

This time, make 4 figures as shown in the drawing.

Then try to construct words from the shapes by removing
8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 matchsticks.

See solution 1.

This is also a fun game to play with several people.

Each player lays out a basic figure and then tries to
create words by subtracting a set number of matchsticks.
The first person to find 6 words wins.
11
3. Calculus Lectures

Recently, a group of friends got together to play word

games with matchsticks. Calculus the mathematician
sat by and sneered. He suddenly asked us if we knew of
anything significant to pursue with matchsticks. For
example, he asked, could we use them to expand our
knowledge of mathematics? He referred especially to
geometry, which deals with the types of shapes we could
make from matchsticks.
And he soon began, with slender fingers, to lay out
figures and to explain their peculiarities. The following
is a simplified explanation of what he said.
A quadrangle, he explained, is a figure with four
corners connected by four sides. It doesn’t matter
whether two of the sides—or two sets of two—are
parallel, whether two, three, or four of the sides are
equal in length, or whether the angles are:
12
 right angles or obtuse angles or acute angles

For example, the figure shown here is a quadrangle

with different length sides, no two of which are parallel,
and which does not have any right angles, but two
obtuse and two acute angles.

This quadrangle figure, called a trapezoid, has two

parallel sides.

13
 This quadrangle, a deltoid, has two sets of sides of
equal length which have equal angles between them.

Shown here is a parallelogram, which consists of two

pairs of parallel sides. A parallelogram is also a quad­
rangle.

//
One type of parallelogram has one right angle, which
means, therefore, that it must have four right angles.
This special parallelogram is called a rectangle. A rect­
angle is thus a parallelogram and a quadrangle.

14
 Some rectangles have all four sides the same length.
This special form of rectangle is called a square. A square
is thus a rectangle and a parallelogram and a quad­
rangle. Moreover, a square is naturally also a trapezoid
because it has two parallel sides. A square is also a
deltoid, because it has two pairs of two sides of equal
length with equal angles between them.

A parallelogram with sides of equal length is also a

rhombus or diamond

and one with unequal sides is a

rhomboid. Both can but do not have to be rectangular.
15
 A rectangular rhomboid is a parallelogram and a
rectangle and a trapezoid and a quadrangle. A rect­
angular rhombus is also a square. A square is also a
rhomboid.

When you have understood Calculus the mathemati­

cian and have these shapes and their names sorted out
in your head, it’s then time for some matchstick
problems.

What kind of a figure is this? Several answers can be

correct.

a: a square
b: a diamond
c: a trapezoid
d: a rhomboid
e: a deltoid

See solution 2.
16
And this one?
a: a quadrangle
b: a rectangle
c: a rhombus
d: a rhomboid
e: a square

See solution 113.

And this one?

a: a square
b: a diamond
c: a trapezoid
d: a rhomboid
e: a deltoid

See solution 68.

17
4. About Squares

The .teachings of Calculus stirred our imaginations.

Each of us suddenly thought of a puzzle which involved
squares or rectangles. Following are some of the best
problems we created.
Start with this matchstick figure in which 12 match­
sticks make 5 squares—1 big and 4 small.

Remove 2 matchsticks to make 2 squares.

See solution 3.
18
 Now move 4 matchsticks to make 2 squares.
See solution 36.
Move 4 matchsticks to make 3 squares.
See solution 14.
Move 3 matchsticks to make 3 squares.
See solution 65.
Move 2 matchsticks to make 3 big and 4 small squares.
See solution 118.
Move 2 matchsticks to make 3 squares, 4 small rect­
angles, and 4 big rectangles.
See solution 140.
Add 4 matchsticks to make 5 more squares!
See solution 6.
Now use 12 matchsticks to lay out the following figure:

Move 3 matchsticks to make 3 squares.

See solution 12.
Move 4 matchsticks to make a cross.
See solution 18.
19
 Here is another figure to work with:

Remove 5 matchsticks, so that 3 squares remain.

See solution 4.
Remove 6 matchsticks, so that 2 squares remain.
See solution 15.

The following problems are quite similar:

Move 4 matchsticks to make 6 squares.

See solution 110.
20
 Move 2 matchsticks to make 4 equal-sized squares.
See solution 85.
Move 2 matchsticks to make 4 squares—3 small and
one large.
See solution 142.

For the next group of problems, use 22 matchsticks to

lay out the basic pattern shown here:

Remove 10 matchsticks to make 4 squares

See solution 99.
Remove 9 matchsticks to make 4 squares.
See solution 119.
Remove 8 matchsticks to make 4 squares.
See solution 127.
Remove 7 matchsticks to make 4 squares.
See solution 143.
Remove 6 matchsticks to make 4 squares.
See solution 9.
Remove 5 matchsticks to make 4 squares.
See solution 16.
21
 Here’s a real brain teaser. Lay out 24 matchsticks to
form a 9-square grid and try the following problems
using that basic figure.

Remove 4 matchsticks to make 5 equal-sized squares.

See solution 13.
Remove 4 matchsticks to make 1 large and 4 small
squares.
See solution 29.
Remove 4 matchsticks to make 6 squares.
See solution 70.
Remove 4 matchsticks to make 9 squares.
See solution 83.
Remove 6 matchsticks to make 3 different-sized
squares.
See solution 90.
Remove 6 matchsticks to make 3 different-sized
squares and 2 rectangles.
See solution 71.
22
 Remove 8 matchsticks to make 2 same-sized and
1 small square.
See solution 117.
Remove 8 matchsticks to make 2 different-sized
squares (2 solutions).
See solution 134.
Remove 8 matchsticks to make 4 squares.
See solution 125.
Move 8 matchsticks to make 3 different-sized squares.
See solution 147.
Remove 12 matchsticks to make 3 squares.
See solution 14.
Move 12 matchsticks to make 2 same-sized squares.
See solution 146.

Here is a similar problem. Use 15 matchsticks to

make a spiral-like figure like the one shown:

Move 3 matchsticks to make 2 squares.

See solution 94.
23
 Construct a building from 11 matchsticks:

Move 4 matchsticks to make 11 squares.

See solution 38.
Move 2 matchsticks to make 11 squares.
See solution 116.

Lay out 5 squares using 16 matchsticks:

Move 6 matchsticks to make 4 squares.

See solution 104.
Move 4 matchsticks to make 4 squares.
See solution 43.
24
The following figure consists of 3 quadrangles:

Take away 1 matchstick and try to construct 3 differ­

ent quadrangles from the remaining matchsticks. It
works!
See solution 128.

Calculus Special
The most interesting problem came from Calculus
himself. Carefully, he laid 4 matchsticks on the table.
And then came the problem: Move just one matchstick,
so that one square results.

25
 Calculus thought that this problem could be solved
either by intuitive thinking or by persistent thinking. In
intuitive thinking, the steps leading to the solution
would not all be visible. Instead, the solution could be
reached by a sudden intuitive leap of the mind. The
result would depend more on hitting upon the right
answer than by carefully reasoning out an answer. In
persistent thinking, the solution would result from a
progressive sequence of steps. This sequence would not
necessarily have to be in any kind of logical sequence,
but the steps in this method would follow one after the
other.
Then Calculus explained that the experience we
gained working out the previous problem involving
squares could actually delay our finding the solution to
this one, or even prevent finding it altogether! What
did he mean by that? At any rate, we were ready to bet
this problem was unsol vable. What do you think?
See solution 44.

26
5. About Triangles

A triangle is a figure composed of three points not lying

in a straight line and the connecting lines between these
points. The sum of two sides is always greater than the
third side. The largest angle always lies opposite the
longest side, and the smallest angle always lies opposite
the shortest side.
There are obtuse or scalene triangles, in which the
sides are unequal in length, isosceles triangles, which

27
 isosceles triangle

have two sides equal in length, and equilateral triangles,

which have all three sides equal in length.

equilateral triangle

An unequal-sided triangle and an isosceles triangle

can also be right triangles, which means that one of the
three angles is a right angle. An equilateral triangle,
however, can never be a right triangle because each of
its angles is 60°.
28
 You can, however, make two right triangles out of
any triangle, says Calculus, including an equilateral
triangle, by dividing the triangle with a straight line
which drops perpendicularly from one point to the
opposite line as shown in the drawing.

The right triangle has a unique trait. Thousands of

years ago, the Babylonians developed geometry which
they used to help them build dams and to calculate
measures. They also set up a theorem, which was later
ascribed to the Greek, Pythagoras: the square of the
hypotenuse (the longest side in a right triangle) is equal
to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
To prove this, make a right triangle whose sides have
the smallest possible whole number of lines—a = 3,
b = 4 and c = 5 matchsticks. Then construct a square
of matchsticks from each side of this right triangle.
29
30
Now add a2 4~ b2 = c2, and you can see that, indeed,
9 + 16 = 25.
This knowledge benefitted the Babylonians and the
Egyptians. After each annual flooding of the Nile, the
Egyptians had to survey the land by the river. For this,
they used a 12-unit-long knotted rope which was
marked into divisions of 3, 4 and 5 units. The rope was
then straightened out by a so-called “rope stretcher”
until the markings lay on the angles of a triangle. The
resulting triangle was a right triangle, and with it, right
angles could be constructed anywhere in the land.
Calculus took a deep breath, but before he could
continue with his dissertation, his listeners instinctively
began to solve triangle problems. The most interesting
of these were the following:

Here is an equilateral triangle. Add 3 matchsticks to

it so that 5 equilateral triangles result—4 small and
1 large.

See solution 7.
31
 Here are 3 equilateral triangles. Move 2 matchsticks
to make 4 equilateral triangles.

AaA
See solution 31.

With 5 matchsticks, construct 2 isosceles triangles

which have only 1 point in common.
See solution 37.

With 4 matchsticks, construct 2 isosceles triangles

which have only 1 point in common.
See solution 108.

Construct the figure shown below on a table using

12 matchsticks. Now move 4 matchsticks so that 6
equilateral triangles result.

See solution 10.

32
 How many triangles are contained in this figure?

See solution 24.

Using 8 matchsticks, make 4 right triangles the same
size and 2 squares of different size.
See solution 69.
Make a tomahawk with 9 matchsticks. Move 5 match­
sticks so that 5 triangles result.

See solution 19.

33
 Using 18 matchsticks, construct 13 equilateral tri­
angles—9 small, 3 middle-sized, and 1 large. Take
away 5 matchsticks so that only 5 triangles remain.

See solution 59.

Build a small house with 6 matchsticks. Move 3

matchsticks around so that 4 equilateral triangles result.

See solution 72.

And now, with the same 6 matchsticks construct

12 right triangles.
See solution 39.
34
Calculus Special
Again, Calculus had the last word. Lost in thought,
he took the 6 matchsticks into his hand. “Let’s try once
more,” he said, “to construct 4 equilateral triangles
with them—similar to the next to last problem we did.
However, this time, each side of this triangle is to be
only one matchstick long.

“Again, it is possible that our experiences with the

previous problems may delay or prevent our finding
the correct solution. Is this problem solvable?”
What do you think?
See solution 122.

35
6. About Rhombuses and Rhomboids

Do you remember from page 13 what a rhombus is?

It is also called a lozenge (it looks like a pushed-out-of-
shape square). Remember, too, that a rhomboid is a
pushed-out-of-shape rectangle (a parallelogram).
Let’s see if we can solve some interesting problems
involving these figures. I hope we do not have to disturb
Calculus again.

Move these 3 E’s so that 6 rhomboids, 3 rhombuses

and 1 hexagon result.

See solution 66.

36
 Lay out a star with 18 matchsticks. Change the
positions of 6 matchsticks so that the star contains 6
equal-sized rhombuses.

See solution 22.

Change the positions of 2 matchsticks in the figure

below to create 4 rhomboids and 2 rhombuses.

See solution 11.

Again change the positions of 2 matchsticks in the
basic figure above to make 3 rhombuses and 4 triangles.
See solution 17.
37
 Change the positions of 4 matchsticks in the figure
below to make 2 rhombuses and 5 rhomboids.

A
AA
See solution 100.

Move 5 matchsticks to make 3 rhombuses.

/W\
See solution 128.

Change positions of 4 matchsticks in the new figure

created above to make 5 triangles.
See solution 129.
38
 Take 3 matchsticks away from the figure below so as
to leave 6 triangles in 3 rhombuses.

See solution 20.

Take 5 matchsticks away from the same figure to

make 2 rhombuses and 5 triangles.
See solution 28.

Move 2 matchsticks and add 1 to the figure below to

See solution 77.

39
 In the star below, move 6 matchsticks to make 3
rhombuses.

See solution 92.

And now, with 12 matchsticks, lay out a basic figure

to serve as a start for the 6 problems below. The figure
is a hexagon (6-sided figure) enclosing 6 equilateral
triangles.

40
 Move 4 matchsticks to make 5 rhombuses—1 large
and 4 small.
See solution 40.

Move 3 matchsticks to make 4 rhombuses.

See solution 49.

Move 2 matchsticks to make 6 triangles—5 small and

1 large.
See solution 95.

Move 3 matchsticks to make 3 rhombuses and 6

rhomboids.
See solution 66.

Move 4 matchsticks to make 1 rhombus and 3

hexagons—2 small and 1 large.
See solution 58.

Move 3 matchsticks to make 4 triangles.

See solution 82.

41
7. A Visit with a Shepherd

After so much concentration and thinking, we decided

a walk would certainly do us some good. So, we hiked
out into the country to visit Nicodemus, the old shep­
herd, and his flock. To be sure, he doesn’t talk a lot,
but he surely is a sly fox, true to his motto: “He who is
stupid is eaten by the wolves.”
We were lucky that day—he was very sociable.
Following are some of his tales.

This problem was already known in the Middle Ages.

A shepherd had 10 fences. One day he had to tend twice
as many sheep. He added 2 fences and suddenly had
twice as much room for his animals. How were the fences
set up before and after?

See solution 121.

42
 Another shepherd had 26 fences. One day, when he
had 3 times as many sheep to tend, he took away 2
fences and moved the remainder around so that he had
3 times as much room for his animals. How were the
fences set up before and after?

See solution 107.

A farmer had 8 nanny goats and surrounded each one

with 4 of his 25 fences. One night, 3 fences were stolen,
but no goats. The farmer then moved the fences around
and once again each goat had a pen to herself. How did
he do it?

See solution 78.

How many fences could the farmer do without and

still enclose each goat alone? And then how would the
pen look?
See solution 132.
43
 Then Nicodemus, too, presented a difficult problem.
His flock usually grazed between 4 trees and he had
enclosed the area in a square consisting of 8 fences. Then
he wanted to more than double the grazing area. He
wanted it to still be square and still be contained within
the area of the same 4 trees. How did he solve the
problem and how many fences did he need for it?

See solution 25.

A farmer set up 38 sections of fence and kept his sheep

in this pen. One day, 2 fences were lost and the number
of sheep greatly increased. The farmer had to reconstruct
the fences so as to enclose an area which was:
44
 1| times (see solution 32)
2| times (see solution 52)
3| times (see solution 67)
4| times (see solution 80)
as big an area
as that of the
original figure.

What shape did these 4 pens have?

45
8. Box Tricks

When Calculus celebrated his children’s birthdays,

Trixor the magician, who was a friend of the family,
came to visit. He enjoyed himself helping the children
have fun with matchstick games. Following are some of
the games they played at the party. First they tried:

The Nose Relay

The players sat around a table. One player took the
sleeve of a matchbox and placed it on his nose. Then,

46
the player on his or her left had to take the sleeve off the
first player’s nose without using his or her hands.
So it went around the table, moving from nose to
nose. Anyone who let the box fall had to pay a forfeit.

A Guessing Game
Then followed a guessing game. Without showing
how many, the leader of the game put a few matchsticks
in the box and closed it. Each player had to shake the
box and try to guess how many matchsticks were in it.
Whoever guessed correctly was given the matchsticks.
The box was then filled again for another try.

The Unbreakable Matchbox

The unbreakable matchbox came along next. The
sleeve of the box was set on the table with one of its

47
striking surfaces down. The drawer was stood on edge
on the other striking surface. Each player tried to smash
the box with a powerful blow of the fist, but never
succeeded! Each time the pressure of the fist was trans­
mitted to the sleeve, it immediately turned to one side.

The Matchstick Lift

This trick was performed by Calculus himself. He
separated the sleeve and drawer from each other and
laid them on a table, both with the open sides up.
Between them he placed several matchsticks, side by
side.

The object was, without using hands, to transfer all

the matchsticks at one time into the drawer. Can you
do it?
See solution 5.
48
9. Matchstick Magic

Then it was time for Trixor the magician to entertain

the little audience with some of his magic tricks. When
I asked him if he would explain his tricks afterwards, he
murmured, “The greatest magic lies in secrecy,” for he
did not wish to reveal anything about his matchbox
tricks. Not until he heard that it was for this book did
he open up. Promise that you will reveal to no one the
secrets of Trixor’s tricks; otherwise you will ruin some
beautiful illusions and a lot of fun for future viewers.
Ready now? Here comes Trixor’s magic.

Hypnosis
Trixor laid a matchbox on the table and asserted that
he could, by means of hypnosis, make the children do
whatever he wished. He took 10 matchsticks out of the
box and constructed two little piles with them, the first
containing 3 and the second 7 matchsticks. Then he
49
asked little Peter to quickly put the tip of his finger on
one of the piles. Peter placed the tip of his finger on the
pile containing 3 matchsticks and Trixor said, “I knew
you would do that!”
He turned the box over and on the bottom of the box
was written:

How did he know?

See solution 21.

Trixor himself narrated the next trick.

Gravity
“I take a matchstick out of the box, hold it over the
table and let it go—what happens? It falls downwards,
for it obeys the natural law of gravity. However, when
I touch the box with my magic wand, this law is no
longer valid for the matchsticks. For 3 magical seconds,
50
this law will be contradicted. Please, watch: I turn the
box over, open it and—nothing falls out.
“You think that the box may be empty? No, it is not.
I take out a matchstick. Here is the box, with many
matchsticks still in it. You can check for yourself.”
What was Trixor’s secret?
See solution 30.

The Disappearing Matchbox

The magician pulled out a handkerchief and laid it
beside a matchbox. He explained that it was a magic
handkerchief which possessed magical powers. Then he
took the box in his left hand, covered it with the hand­
kerchief and asked one of the small viewers to hold the
51
covered box firmly through the handkerchief. At the
count of 3, the child was to let the box go again.
Trixor took hold of a corner of the handkerchief and
counted, “1—2—3.” At the count of “3,” the child let
go and the magician pulled the handkerchief away. The
matchbox had disappeared and had landed in Trixor’s
trousers pocket! How did that happen?
See solution 46.

Penetration
Trixor showed a matchbox. The drawer was half
open so the audience could see that it was empty. A
coin lay on the table.
52
 The magician closed the box and placed it on top of
the coin. He said the magic word—“abracadabra”—and
the coin turned up inside the drawer! How?
See solution 64.

Illusion
The great magician then took a matchbox out of his
trousers pocket, placed it on the back of his hand,
muttered some magic words, and the box came to life.
It actually moved slowly down the back of his hand
towards him.

53
 Then he turned his hand over so that his palm faced
up and he placed the box on his wrist. Again he said
some magic words and the matchbox moved in the
opposite direction, towards his fingertips.

Next, the magician placed the box on his palm and

held it firmly against the base of his fingers. Again he
uttered some secret words and the box slowly opened
itself until the matchsticks inside were visible.

54
 How did Trixor accomplish these magic feats?
See solution 74.

The Obedient Box

Trixor opened an empty matchbox and, with a knife,
bored a hole in each of the narrow ends of the drawer.
He then pulled a thread through the holes and put the
drawer in its sleeve.

With both hands, he held up one end of the thread

so that the other end hung down. Then he gave the box
instructions. Every time he said, “Down!”, the box was
to slip downwards and every time he said, “Stop!”, it
was to stop immediately.
55
 After Trixor’s demonstration, the children all checked
the box and thread and even tried out the trick. They
just could not make it work—the box slipped from the
top all the way to the bottom of the thread. The children
were astonished, because everything took place right in
front of their noses. They had watched like hawks, but
they had been unable to find an explanation for the
trick.
“It goes without saying that there is a little trick to
it,” said Trixor modestly. “However, it is not enough
just to know the trick to be able to perform it. From
knowing to doing is a big step. Practice makes perfect.”
Can you figure it out?
See solution 35.

56
10. Micromagic

“Even small things can delight us,” said Trixor the

magician. By this he referred to “micromagic”—sorcery
at the table, in a small group, using small, everyday
things such as knives, spoons, napkins or handkerchiefs,
and matchsticks. To the unsophisticated viewer, a coin
which penetrates inside a glass is as great a miracle as a
magician’s assistant being sawed in two on the stage.
The charm lies in the fact that the viewer is sitting right
beside the magician, but still cannot explain the marvel
being performed. In micromagic, there is no special
lighting as there is on the stage, no trapdoors, no stage
wings and no assistants. Here sits a person—the magician
—alone with his or her skilful hands.
Do not think, however, that you can perform micro­
magic without practice. Just as in stage magic, every
trick has to be carefully thought through and thoroughly
studied—not until then can you achieve the intended
effect.
57
 Try to “sell” your tricks as efficiently as possible. Be
sure you have plenty of time and don’t have to hurry.
Surround each trick with a number of little stories. And
what’s more, don’t betray the secrets! Especially, never
perform the same trick twice in a row. If you follow
these bits of advice, you will no doubt succeed in
astonishing your audience.

Somersault
Lay a matchbox at the edge of a table. From it, take
a matchstick and lay it with its head on the box and
half its length hanging over the box and the table’s edge.
To perform the magic, carefully touch the first match­
stick with a second and—“abracadabra”—the first
matchstick somersaults. What do you think? No, no.
The magician’s hands are completely motionless at the
time.
See solution 105.

The Indian Cloth

Trixor next showed us a silk cloth which, he said,
was given to him by an Indian fakir as a gift. It has quite
unusual properties.
He asked one viewer to take a match from the table
and place it in the cloth. With magnetic stroking and
58
by blowing on it with his magical breath, Trixor
awakened the mystic powers in the cloth. Then he
folded the cloth inwards over the matchstick, and turned
it around. He asked his assistant to take hold of the
matchstick through the cloth and break it.
The cloth then had the problem of repairing the
damage. Trixor blew on the cloth, shook—and “abra­
cadabra”—the match fell out unbroken.
How? No. The cloth was empty. It had no seams,
either, in which a second matchstick was hidden.
See solution 76.

The Magic Eleven

The magician placed 19 matchsticks on the table and
posed the problem—to make 11 out of them, without
breaking a matchstick or adding any matches to the
original number.
Here’s how he did it:

Then he took away 15 matchsticks, so that only 4

remained on the table, and he again posed the same
problem—that is, make 11 from these also.
59
 Now he removed 1 more matchstick. Out of the
remaining 3 matchsticks, can you figure out how he
made 11 again?
Lastly, the magician took away 2 more matchsticks,
so that only a single one remained on the table. How
did he make 11 out of that? It was a small and simple
thing for the magician.
See solution 84.

The Magnetic Matchsticks

“Certainly,” said Trixor, “you are familiar with the
principles of magnetism. Every bar magnet, for example,
has 2 poles, 1 positive and the other negative. If you bring
another magnet close to the first one, you will see that
the 2 poles either attract or repel each other.
“Let’s try this out. Unfortunately, I do not have a
magnet on hand. For better or worse, I must make do
with my matchbox. Let’s say that these 2 matchsticks
represent magnets. By merely blowing on them, I can
awaken in them special physical properties.
“In order to have a foundation, I lay a third match­
stick lengthwise on top of the box. On this matchstick,
I carefully lay the first magnet so that it is balanced
horizontally on the foundation matchstick.
“Hopefully, the magnetism reaches out so that I can
demonstrate to you what I explained above. To help me,
60
I rub the second magnet on the sleeve of my jacket. As
you know, rubbing generates heat, electricity, and in this
case, also magnetism.
“I now place the second matchstick magnet on the
front right quarter of the box.

“Did you see it? The first magnet quickly turned

itself towards the second and now it is sticking to it.
Quite by accident, I found 2 similar and attracting
poles. And now, let us try the opposite. First, I place
the first magnet in its original position. Then I rub the
second on my sleeve and place it in the front left quarter
of the box. You see—the poles repel each other.”
How did Trixor make his matchsticks magnetic?
See solution 96.
61
The Bewitched Matchstick
Trixor opened the matchbox and took out one of the
matchsticks to show the audience. He shook the match­
box to show it still contained a few matchsticks. These
were to become bewitched.
Trixor then closed the box, blew on the top of the
matchbox sleeve, pulled out the drawer, and—“abra­
cadabra”—the box was empty! He even pulled the
drawer all the way out and showed it around.
Then he closed the box again and rubbed it between
his hands. “Abracadabra!” When he opened the box,
the matchsticks were in it again.
Can you perform this magic?
See solution 98.

Penetration of Matter
The magician brought out a safety pin on which he
had skewered a matchstick. He then snapped his middle
finger against the matchstick—whose head had been
broken off, of course—and it visibly passed through the
shank of the pin. How?

See solution 102.

62
The Stingy Matchbox
“May I ask you for a match?”
“Well, now! The drawer slid shut by itself!”
How did that happen?

See solution 144.

The Puzzling Dots

The magician held 2 flat matchsticks in his hands. He
held 1 between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand
and the other the same way in his right. He showed both
sides of the matchsticks—each had 2 clean surfaces.
Then, with the ring finger of his left hand, he stroked
the right matchstick, blew on it, and, on the previously
63
clean surface, a black dot appeared. Then he turned
the right matchstick over to show the other side—a
black dot also appeared there.

Next, he passed the ring finger of his right hand over

the left matchstick and blew on it: the dot disappeared
from the right matchstick and appeared on the left. Then
he showed both sides of the matchsticks. The right
matchstick was clean on both sides, but the dot was
now also on the second surface of the left matchstick.
Again, the magician moved his hands towards each
other—the dots again appeared on the right matchstick.
With still another movement—“abracadabra”—the flat
surfaces of both matchsticks were clean.
What happened?
See solution 123.
64
Into Nothing
Trixor put 3 matchsticks on the table. He wanted to
dissolve them into nothing before our very eyes! He
asked a member of the audience to stretch out her left
hand in such a way that the palm was turned towards
the magician. He asked this assistant to clench her
fingers, leaving only her thumb outspread.

Then Trixor tapped lightly with the first matchstick

in the space between the thumb and forefinger of his
helper’s hand. At the third touch, the helper was to try
to grab hold of the matchstick firmly with her thumb.
1—2—3! The matchstick vanished!
1—2—3! The second vanished too!
1—2—3! The third also dissolved into nothing. How
can this be?
See solution 126.
65
The Magnetic Hair
“Even my hair is magnetic,” claimed the magician.
He pulled a hair out of his head and brought it close
to 2 matchsticks he held in his other hand. Every time
he brought the hair close to the matchsticks, they moved
apart.

Of course, he allowed both the hair and the match­

sticks to be examined by the audience. Gan you explain
this bit of magnetism?
See solution 130.

The Obedient Matchsticks

The great magician placed a bowl of water on the
table and put 6 matchsticks on the surface of the water
66
so that they formed a star. He then touched the water
with his magic wand and—“abracadabra”—the match­
sticks floated from the middle of the bowl to the sides.

When he touched the water with his wand again—

“abracadabra”—the obedient matchsticks gravitated
back to the middle of the bowl.

Can you explain this magic movement?

See solution 139.
67
The Old Magician

To end his micromagical show, Trixor told us this

story:
“Once upon a time, an old magician, famed far and
wide for his wisdom, lived in the Orient. When he felt
that he was about to die, he summoned his 2 sons to his
deathbed. He showed them 2 chests (matchboxes), 1 of
which was empty, but the other filled with many gold
pieces (matchsticks).
“Then he turned to his eldest son (a spectator), gave
him the full chest and said: ‘You are the eldest and so
you have the first choice. I no longer know how many
gold pieces are in the chest. Take out as many as you
want, but fewer than 30 and no less than 20. Then give
the chest with the remaining gold pieces to your younger
brother (another spectator). Here, my elder son, is the
empty chest. Place your gold pieces inside it.’
“However, the old magician understood people and
he understood his elder son. And, therefore, he said to
him: ‘I do not know how many gold pieces you took,
but now I ask you to give your younger brother a few
more—as many as the second digit in the number you
took, and again as many as the first digit (for instance,
if the elder son had taken 27 gold pieces, he now had to
give his younger brother 7 4-2).
“When that was done, the old man died and his sons
68
could not rest until they had counted their inheritance
(both sons count their gold pieces).
“And now you see the final wonder performed by the
old magician. Both sons received the same number of
gold pieces!”
Are you wise enough to figure out the secret?
See solution 148.

We close this chapter on micromagic with hearty

applause for Trixor.

69
11. Thinking Division and Dividing
Thoughts

In trying to solve the following two-part problems,

you can proceed either intuitively (by trial and error)
or logically (step by step).

A father bequeathed to his 4 sons a piece of land upon

which stand 4 trees. Each son is to receive an equal share

70
of the land as well as 1 of the trees. How should the sons
divide the land without moving the trees?
See solution 8.

Another father also bequeathed to his 4 sons a piece

of land with 4 trees. Each son is to receive a piece of land
equal in area and of the same shape, as well as a tree.
How should this piece of land be divided ?

See solution 47.

Next is a division problem which you can solve only

by logical and not by intuitive thinking. And what is
more, you can also start with the desired conclusion and
reconstruct the problem backwards from the end, step
by step, until you have developed the beginning.
71
The Joseph Game
This ancient counting game goes back to the
historian and military general Flavius Josephus. Hans
Sachs, shoemaker and poet, also put the story into verse:
“The XV Christians and XV Turks, who were
travelling by sea. ...”
How does it go? Fifteen people in party A and 15
people in party B are sailing the sea when their ship
gets caught up in a storm. In order to keep the ship
from sinking, half the travellers have to be thrown
overboard. This is to take place in accordance with a
certain ritual.
All 30 stand in a row. Beginning at the left, the
passengers are counted off to 9 and this ninth person has
to go overboard. Then, 9 more are counted off, and so
on. When the end of the row is reached, the counting
returns to the beginning of the line and continues.
The question is: How must the members of party A
be arranged to ensure that only the travellers of party B
have to jump overboard?
Indicate the members of party A by matchsticks laid
with their heads up and of party B by matchsticks laid
head down.
See solution 114.

Here is still another division problem whose solution

requires logical thinking and testing.
72
 Two treasure hunters found 10 gold pieces and 11
silver spoons. The smarter of the 2 proposed a special
method of division, and laid out the gold pieces and
silver spoons in a circle as shown. He then began count­

ing 10 times clockwise to 5, taking away an object at

each count of 5. Next, the stupider hunter counted 11
times to 5, taking away 11 objects. Where did the
smarter hunter start counting in order to get all 10
of the gold pieces?
See solution 81.
73
 Strategy is very important in solving the following
problems. In each case, you must choose the one step,
from several possibilities, that is most suitable to help you
win the game. To win, you must comprehend the
situation more exactly—and quicker—than your oppo­
nent and deduce logical and valid strategies. If you are
careful to do this, you should be able to play the following
games well. Using incorrect strategies or your intuition
could lead to your defeat!

From a small pile of 11 matchsticks, let 2 players,

taking turns, remove from 1 to 3 matchsticks at a time.
Whoever has to take the last matchstick loses. Who
always wins?
See solution 27.

Lay 15 matchsticks on a table. Taking turns, 2 players

remove 1 to 3 matchsticks at a time. Whoever has to
take the last matchstick loses. How can one never lose?
See solution 33.

Lay 25 matchsticks on a table. Taking turns, each of

2 players removes 1 to 4 matchsticks at a time. Whoever
takes away the last matchstick loses. Whoever goes first
can direct the game so that he or she always wins. What
happens if he or she must start second?
See solution 57.
74
 Place 30 matchsticks in a pile. Taking turns, have 2
players remove 1 to 6 matchsticks at a time. The winner
is the one who takes the last matchstick from the table.
How does one win?
See solution 101.

Make 3 piles, each containing any number of match­

sticks. The first player may take from one of the piles
as many matchsticks as desired—even all of them.
Whoever takes the last matchstick from the table loses.
How can one win the game?
See solution 131.

To conclude this chapter, here is another division

problem. In order to solve it, it is not sufficient to think
intuitively, logically or strategically—there is a little
trick to it. You must find out what it is.

Dividing the Camels

Ali Baba wants to divide 39 camels among his 4 sons.
The first is to get half of them, the second a fourth, the
third an eighth and the fourth a tenth. How can he solve
the problem? Use matchsticks for the 39 camels.
Not until wise Ibrahim comes riding up to help can
he do it. Why?
See solution 152.
75
12. The Ancient Romans

You are certainly familiar with Roman numerals.

And, you must realize that you can easily represent the
individual numerals using matchsticks. You probably

= 100 = 500 = 1000

also know that at the most, there can only be three
similar figures written one after the other, which you
add together to designate a number. One smaller figure
may stand in front of a larger figure, which means you
subtract its value from the larger figure. You can also
write smaller figures after larger ones, and then add the
values together. Thus, for example, these mean:

=2 =3 =4 =6

So, how can you make 4 or 6 out of 3 matchsticks?

Correct. The solution is in the drawing above.

Let’s suppose that the ancient Romans were acquain­

ted with matchsticks. Then, how would they have
written the following numbers (with matchsticks) ?
8, 9, 24, 40, 78, 97, 99, 1975.
See solution 61.

From 19, take away a matchstick so that 20 remains.

See solution 23.
77
 Lay 5 matchsticks on the table and take away 8, so
that nothing remains.
See solution 48.

How can 3 dozen be made out of f dozen?

See solution 141.

Add 1 matchstick to the following equation so that

both sides of the equation are equal. There are 2
solutions.

See solution 111.

Here is another equation, the two sides of which are

not equal. Make them equal by changing the position
of 1 matchstick.

See solution 145.

78
 Change the positions of 2 matchsticks so that both
sides of this equation are equal.

See solution 88.

Change the position of 1 matchstick so both sides of

the equation are equal. There are 2 solutions.

See solution 124.

Move 1 matchstick so both sides of this equation are

equal.

I-A/'i
See solution 93.
79
 Move 1 matchstick so both sides of this equation are
equal.

See solution 91.

Prove that half of 12 equals 7.

See solution 79.

Here is the intelligence test which the Roman general

Publius Quintilius Varus, in the year 9 a.d., gave to his
legionnaires in order to choose a commander, The
instructions were to continue the following sequences of
figures, adding one number to each. As smart as he was,
Varus nevertheless lost the battle in the Teutoburger
Forest and committed suicide. Gan you pass this test?
80
See solution 137.

See solution 53.

See solution 138.

81
 See solution 56.

See solution 54.

See solution 86.

82
See solution 50.

See solution 87.

83
13. Clearance Sale

Come in! Come in! Come to our big clearance sale!

We are going out of business! Help yourself, while the
stock lasts! You won’t be sorry!

A coin lies on a shovel. Move 2 matchsticks so that

the coin lies outside the shovel. Do not move the coin or
the other 2 matchsticks.

See solution 106.

84
 Here are 2 equilateral triangles. Take away 3 match­
sticks and add 2 so that you still have 2 equilateral
triangles.

See solution 112.

With 10 matchsticks, construct 4 deltoids in the shape

of a 4-pointed star. Do not bend or break any of the
matchsticks.
See solution 103.

With 6 matchsticks, lay out 2 deltoids which do not

have a side in common. Again, do not bend (or break)
any of the matchsticks.
See solution 133.

Can you lay out 6 matchsticks on the table so that

every matchstick touches all the others?

See solution 150.

85
 Lay out an island with 4 matchsticks and a pool
around it with 12 matchsticks. With the island placed
as shown in the drawing, with a one-matchstick separa­
tion, the “water” around it cannot be bridged with a
(W-matchstick bridge. This is because the bridging match
must be supported at both ends; since the separation is a
full matchstick-length, the “bridge” would float other­
wise.
However, you can build a stable bridge with 2
matchsticks. How?

See solution 115.

How can you lift a whole pile of matchsticks with

only 1 additional matchstick?
See solution 73.
86
 Lay out a row of 8 matchsticks. Put the first 4 match­
sticks heads up, the second 4 heads down. Now rearrange

this row in 4 moves so that the matchsticks stand

alternately head up and head down—that is, the first
should be head up, the second head down, the third
head up, and so on. In doing this, always take 2 side-by­

side matchsticks with 1 move and lay them down in

another place. Also, do not turn any of the matchsticks
upside down.
See solution 135.

Can you construct a square using 2 matchsticks,

without bending or breaking them? And, can you also
make a triangle with 1 matchstick, also without bending
or breaking it?
See solution 55.
87
 Build a coin bank on a tablecloth using 4 matchsticks.
Place a coin in the safe. How can you get the coin out
of the bank without touching the coin or the safe?

See solution 42.

Can you, now, without a support of any kind, lay out

3 matchsticks on a table so that their heads do not touch
the table? Can you do this same trick with 4 or 6
matchsticks ?
See solution 136.

Can you balance 13 matchsticks on one single match­

stick? This is not a trick, like solution 73 was, but it is
an actual physical miracle!

See solution 120.

88
squares of the same size and 6 six-sided figures of the
same size result.
See solution 60.

If you take away 16 matchsticks from the same figure,

can you end up with 1 square and 4 same-sized six-sided
figures ?
See solution 75.

Set aside 12 matchsticks and pretend that each

matchstick is exactly 1 yard (metre) long. In each of
the following problems, use all 12 matchsticks.

How can you fence in 9 square yards (metres) with

them?
See solution 41.
89
 And how can you fence in 8, 7, 6 and 5 square yards
(metres) ?
See solution 51.

Can you fence in 6 square yards (metres) so that the

fence forms a triangle?
See solution 151.

Can you change this triangular shape into a different

form so that it contains 5 and then 4 square yards
(metres) ?
See solution 62.

Finally, how can you surround 3 square yards

(metres) with the 12 matchsticks?
See solution 34.

Here is a problem that many great mathematicians

have tried to solve:

First, lay out 10 matchsticks. Out of these, construct

5 crosses, one after the other. To make these crosses, you
must use 1 matchstick at a time to jump over no more

90
or less than 2 others. An already constructed cross
counts as 2 matchsticks. Are there several solutions?
See solution 63.

The Bridge
Place 2 matchboxes on the table so that they are
separated by a space slightly greater than the length of
a matchstick. Gan you build a stable bridge from box
to box with only 4 matchsticks?

See solution 45.

Pi
The famous number pi (ir = 3.14159265 . . .) indicates
how many times larger the circumference of a circle is
than its diameter or its area greater than the square of
91
its radius. The precise value of pi cannot be expressed
by a whole-number fraction (in which the numerator
and the denominator are both whole numbers). There
is, however, a whole series of rather simple fractions
whose values come astonishingly close. In the following
problem, a sufficiently approximate value is 3.14. After
you know that, you can easily solve the problem.
Move 1 matchstick so this equation becomes equal
on both sides.

See solution 89.

Pyramid
Wedge 2 matchsticks together and support them with
a third so that a pyramid results. Can you lift the
matchsticks up with a fourth match?

See solution 153.

92
Puzzling it Out
Here’s the last bit of stock remaining in the “puzzling”
clearance sale. Each player gets 3 matchsticks and,
without the others seeing, holds in his or her closed hand
any number of them from 0 to 3. Each player then lays
his or her fist on the table. Taking turns, each person
guesses how many matchsticks there are altogether in
the fists on the table. If someone guesses the number
exactly, he or she drops out of the game. The match­
sticks are then reshuffled, and a new round begins.
Whoever stays to the end of the game loses and pays a
forfeit.

93
14. The Solutions

8 less

9 less

94
10 less

12 less

13 less

95
2. Answers b, c, d and e are correct.

5. Take the sleeve of the matchbox between your lips

and set it down on top of the matchsticks. Inhale deeply.
The matchsticks will hang on as if glued to the end of
the sleeve because inhaling creates a partial vacuum
and air pressure presses the matchsticks against the
opening. Now move the matchsticks over the drawer
of the box and exhale to break the vacuum and release
the matchsticks.

96
6.

8.

97
‘°'AA
W

13.

98
15

99
19.

21. Trixor used a box which contained 17 matchsticks.

On the bottom, he wrote: “You will choose 3 match­
sticks,” but he carefully hid the writing at first. During
the performance, Trixor took 10 matchsticks out of
the box, leaving only 7 in it. He placed the pile of 3
matchsticks closer to the player than the other pile.
When the player chose that pile, which usually happens,
Trixor turned the box over and showed the written
prediction. If the player had chosen the other pile,
Trixor would have said, “See, I knew you would choose
the pile with 7 matchsticks in it—there are also 7 match­
sticks in my box!” In this case, of course, the writing
on the bottom of the box was not revealed. When
you perform this trick, be careful not to repeat it for
the same people.
100
22. 23.

\AzL/ take away 1 equals

24. 12 ones -|- 6 fours + 2 nines = 20 triangles.

101
26. The solution lies in the third dimension. Lay out a
triangle with 3 matchsticks. With the other 3, construct
a pyramid over it to make 4 equilateral triangles whose
sides are 1 matchstick long.

27. Whoever can take the sixth matchstick wins. The

opponent then takes 1, 2 or 3 matchsticks from the
remaining 5. This leaves the first player 3, 2 or 1 to
take away and win.

102
29.

30. To prepare for this trick, Trixor broke off a match­

stick and jammed it crosswise into the box with the
head still on it. This prevented all the other match­
sticks from falling out. Over these held-down match­
sticks, he placed 1 loose matchstick to use at the
beginning of the demonstration. He then removed the
shortened matchstick—making sure, however, not to
show that it was only a half—and the other matchsticks
were free again.

103
 zvv
32. The area is 1| times 18 = 27.

33.When, after one turn, a player succeeds in leaving

9 matchsticks lying on the table, and then later at least
5 matchsticks, he will never lose.

34,

104
35. To do this trick, Trixor hid a short length of wooden
stick or dowel (a) in his hand. When closing the box, he
secretly stuck the dowel into the drawer (b). When he
pulled the string at both ends, the box stood still (c).
When he opened the box to let the children check it, he
removed the dowel and hid it.

36.

11 squares— 12 right triangles—

9 small and 2 large. 6 small and 6 large.
105
 41.

42. On the open side of the “safe,” scratch on the table­

cloth with your fingernail until the coin slides out.

44. This is not a solution, but only a helpful hint. Try

solving the problem once more, thinking: Must a square
always be bordered only by matchstick lengths'? If you
still get nowhere, see solution 109.
106
45. Here is how to interlock the 4 matchsticks to make
the bridge.

46. The magic handkerchief actually consisted of 2

same-sized handkerchiefs which were carefully sewn
together around the edges. Between them was an empty
matchbox (box B). Box A, which was the one that
disappeared, was covered with the cloth. The magician
reached his right hand under the handkerchief (as
if arranging it) and took box A. At the same time, his
left hand took hold of box B and lifted it up under his
helper’s nose. While the helper took box B in his hand,
the magician stuffed box A away unnoticed in his
pocket. Practice this in front of a mirror before you

107
 V
Lay down 5
matchsticks, take
away (the number)
8, nothing is left.

50.

On the left, write

the next lower figure;
on the right, write
the next higher figure.

51.

108
52.

The area is 2| X 18:

5 squares of 3 X 3 = 45.

53. 54.

Write the next The next number

odd number. is half of the previous one 1.
109
55.

edge of the table

56. The next number is double

the previous one minus 1.

57. A player can win if after his or her own turns 21,
16, 11 Or, at the least, 6 matchsticks remain on the table.
This is also true if the player must start second. Of
course, if the first player also knows the secret trick, he
or she can win instead!

58. 1 rhombus (middle) and 3 hexagons—2 small ones

(left and right) and 1 large one (the whole figure).

110
60.

,7i >x; 111

63. One mathematician discovered 24 original and 24
mirror-image solutions. Two of these are: move match­
stick 5 on top of matchstick 2, 7 on 10, 3 on 8, 9 on 6,
1 on 4; and 4 on 1, 7 on 3, 5 on 9, 6 on 2, 10 on 8.

64. To make the coin on the table disappear, Trixor

put a small lump of wax on the underside of the box
and stuck the coin to it. The coin that appeared in the
drawer of the box was really a duplicate which had
been jammed in between the sleeve and the drawer of
the open box.

112
 Trixor closed the box by giving it a powerful slap.
This loosened the coin and also covered the noise it
made when it fell.

67

The area is 3| X 18:

7 squares of 3 X 3 — 63.
0

113
68. Answer e is correct.

73. This is a joke: Jam a matchstick inbetween the

sleeve and the drawer of the matchbox and lift the full
box with it.

74. The explanation is easy. In setting up the trick,

Trixor attached a 30-cm. (1-foot) long black thread to
the sleeve of the box. When he slid the drawer in place,
he made sure the thread went around the entering end
114
of it. On the other end of the thread, he put a safety
pin which he also attached to the lining of his trousers
pocket.
In performing the magic trick, Trixor put the box on
the back of his hand and moved his hand slowly and
unnoticeably forward. He thus created the impression
that the box was moving by itself towards him. When
he turned his hand over, he placed the thread between
his index and middle fingers, so that when he slowly
moved his hand, the box appeared to move towards

his fingertips. Finally, Trixor stood the box on end on

his palm and held it firmly. The thread was on the
115
surface turned towards him. Again, when his hand
moved unnoticeably forward, the box seemed to open
itself.

76. Trixor brought the matchstick under the cloth with

his left hand. Under the cloth, he held it firmly between
his palm and the base of his thumb. Then he stretched
116
all his fingers out straight, took hold of the second match­
stick—it was hidden in the seam of his necktie—and
lifted it up. The assistant held and then broke the
matchstick.
Trixor released the palmed match while shaking out

79. This is a joke: Half of 12 (in Roman numerals) is 7.

The top part of the drawing looks normal; the bottom
looks like a mirror image.

117
80.

The area is 4| x 18:

9 X 9 = 81.

81. He began counting clockwise at the matchstick

marked with an X.

118
 83. 9 squares—
7 small and 2 large.

84. first then

and then:

The magician had 10 matchsticks hidden in his

pocket. While the first 3 parts of the trick were being
laid out, he secretly and unnoticeably took out the
extra 10 matchsticks and hid them in his hand. He
then picked up the last matchstick, shook it between
his hands and—11 matchsticks fell on the table!
119
85.

86. On the left and right, write the next higher figure.

87. Continue the sequence as follows: +5, —50, +5

. . . and so on.

120
 90.

91. 92.

\\//
1 = 1 to the first
power

93. ■■

1 = square root of 1
121
 94.

96. Lightly blowing the matchsticks together produces

the seeming magnetism. This is one of the finest table
tricks when it is well practiced and correctly performed.
Be sure to do it only once, or someone from the audience
might catch on.

122
97.

98. For this trick, the matchbox must be prepared

beforehand. Using water, remove the label from a
second box and glue it to the bottom of the first one.
Now, nobody can tell which is the top and which the
bottom. Cut out the bottom of the box drawer and
glue the matchsticks to it. Glue or paste white paper
to the sides of the drawer to strengthen them. The
(cut-out) bottom can fall back and forth but cannot
slip out past the sides.
Place the drawer in the sleeve with the glued-on
matchsticks facing up. Put a loose matchstick on top
of them. This matchstick is the one to show the
audience. When you turn the box over, the bottom of
the drawer falls downwards. When you open the box
again, the drawer seems to be empty.

123
99.

100. 2 rhombuses and 5 rhomboids—4 small and 1 large:

101. A player wins when, on the last draw, the opponent

has 7 matchsticks to choose from. If the opponent
previously had 28, 21, or 14 matchsticks to choose
from, the player can also win.

102. The matchstick pierced exactly through its middle

was prepared beforehand by twisting it back and forth,
so that it moved easily around the pin’s shaft. When the
magician snapped his finger against the matchstick, it
only seemed to go through the pin. Actually, he quickly
124
turned the safety pin around 180° in the other direction.
Thus, the magic was really an optical illusion, un-
noticeable because the matchstick’s head was missing.

105. The somersault takes place by means of a snap of

the magician’s fingernail. When you perform this trick,
be sure to hold the second matchstick near its head
125
between your thumb and forefinger. Place your middle
finger lightly against the matchstick. Hold your hand
with the palm turned up.
Now, raise the projecting end of the first matchstick
slightly and snap the nail of your middle finger very
lightly against the second matchstick. . . .
Simple and effective though this trick may be, you
must practice it well.

106.

Starting figure, move one, move another one.

126
 before: 12 X 1

127
111. The simple solution:

and the more difficult one:

112. Take away 3 and add 2, 1 of them broken.

113. Answers a, b and d are correct.

114. The arrangement saving party A (heads up), while

condemning party B, looks like this:

128
 You can memorize the sequence of heads-up-heads-
down matchsticks with these nonsense phrases: “You
mean I am a deer? I say, yes, dear” Assign the vowels in
the sentences the following values: a = 1, e = 2, i = 3,
o = 4, and u = 5. Thus, you begin with 4 matchsticks
heads up, then 5 heads down, and so on.

115. Place one matchstick across the corner of the bank,

and the other from this matchstick to the corner of the
island to make the bridge.

116. 11 squares—8 small and 3 large.

129
120. On 1 matchstick, place the other 12, alternating
the heads right and left as shown. Put the 14th match­
stick across and on top of the 12 matchsticks, parallel
with the first one. Then lift the 13 matchsticks on top
with the 1 matchstick underneath.

130
121.

before

after

122. Here again, there is no solution, but only a small

hint. How many dimensions are there? Try once more
to solve the problem yourself. If you still cannot solve
it, then see solution 26.

123. One surface of each of 2 matchsticks had a large

dot made of black construction paper. At first, the
matchsticks were held downwards at about the height
of the upper thigh, with the clean sides towards the
audience. Then, the matchsticks were quickly raised to
about shoulder height. While doing this, at about
breast height, the magician turned the matchsticks
over—during the upwards movement—with the tips
of his thumb and index finger.
131
 The whole trick is based on this turning of the match­
sticks—they must be turned either when moving
upwards or downwards, or while the ring finger covers
a side. This tricks the audience into thinking that they
have seen both sides of the matchstick empty.
This fine trick, however, is also an example of the
fact that it is not enough just to know the trick. You
must spend a long time practicing the movements in
front of a mirror before you perform it. If you present
the trick without the necessary practice, a fiasco could
result and your entire audience could catch on to the
trick!

125.

132
126. This is a fascinating and puzzling trick whose
secret must not be revealed. The magician sat with the
left side of his body turned towards the audience. Three
times, the magician’s hand formed an arc from his
hairline to his assistant’s hand. Twice, the matchstick
actually touched the hand of the assistant. On the third
rise of his hand, the magician quickly and without
being observed, thrust the matchstick into his hair.
Without stopping, he then struck his helper’s hand for
the third time, but with his outstretched index finger
instead of the matchstick. At first, the magician simply
left the matchstick in his hair. Later, he unobtrusively
removed it.

133
 y\
AZ\
130. Unnoticed, the magician shoved a piece of rubber
tubing about 1.5 cm. (about f inch) long over the ends
of the matchsticks. In this way, he could easily move
the matchsticks. During the performance, his fingers
covered the rubber. Afterwards, he handed the hair
over for examination first. As someone from the audience
reached for the hair, the magician pulled the match­
sticks out of the rubber tube and also released them
for examination.

134
131. The winning player must remove the matchsticks
so that 2 piles with an equal number of matchsticks
always remain for the opponent (5 + 5, 4 + 4, 3 + 3,
2 + 2). At the position 2 + 2, the opponent takes 1 or
2 and the winning player then takes 2 or 1.

132. The farmer can dispense with 6 more fences, and

then the pen would look like this:

133.

135
 134.

135. Starting position:

136
 136.

137.

138. Continue the sequence with multiples of 4.

139. The magician’s wand was made of black card­

board, and the ends were decorated with white paper.
In one end of the tube, Trixor placed some soft soap,
in the other end, a piece of sugar cube. The grease from
the soap spreads out in the water and causes the match­
sticks to float towards the edge of the bowl. The sugar
draws the water and the matchsticks back to the middle
again.
137
 140.

141.

f dozen = 9 matchsticks.

If you move the matchsticks, you can make 3 dozen

(the Roman numeral 36).

142.

138
143.

144. A rubber band was fastened to the middle of the

bottom of the sleeve of the matchbox and was then
attached to the front and back of the bottom part of
the matchbox drawer. When the drawer was pushed
outwards and the fingers pressed against the sleeve, the
box remained open. Releasing the finger pressure made
the box close by itself.

145.

139
146.

147.

148. The secret of the old magician is simple. The

answer always comes out 18 if the total of the digits of
any number of matchsticks between 20 and 29 is sub-
140
tracted from the original number chosen. Also, at the
beginning of the trick, the full chest (matchbox) must
be filled with 36 coins (matchsticks). Then the brothers
will always end up with the same inheritance.

149. The happy pig:

150. Each matchstick touches the other 5 at the same

time.

141
152. Ibrahim adds his camel to the rest, so there are
40 altogether. The first son gets 20 (half), the second 10

142
(a fourth), the third 5 (an eighth), and the fourth 4 (a
tenth). One camel is left over and the wise man rides
away on it.

153. Reach the fourth matchstick under the pyramid,

so it somewhat supports the 2 wedged matchsticks, until
the third pyramid matchstick falls on the fourth. Drop
the wedged matchsticks a little again, until the end of
the third matchstick projects under the place where
the matchsticks are wedged together. You can now
raise the other 3 matchsticks with the fourth one.

143
 Magic Eleven, 59-60
Index magic tricks, 49-69
Magnetic Hair, 66
Magnetic Matchsticks, 60-61
Matchstick Lift, 48
About Rhombuses and Rhom­ Matchstick Magic, 49-56
boids, 36-41 Micromagic, 57-69
About Squares, 18-26
About Triangles, 27-35 Nose Relay, 46-47
Ali Baba, 75
Ancient Romans, 76-83 Obedient Box, 55-56
assorted challenges, 84-93 Obedient Matchsticks, 66-67
Old Magician, 68-69
Bewitched Matchstick, 62
Box Tricks, 46-48 parallelogram, 14
Bridge, 91 Penetration, 52-53, of matter,
62
Calculus Lectures, 12-17 Pi, 91-92
Calculus Special, 25-26, 35 Puzzling Dots, 63-64
Clearance Sale, 84-93 Puzzling It Out, 93
Pyramid, 92
deltoid, 14
Disappearing Matchbox, 51-52 rhombuses and rhomboids, 15,
Discover Words, 11 36-41
dividing, 70-75 Roman numerals, 76-83
Dividing the Camels, 75
Do You Have a Match? 6-8 Secret Beloved, 10-11
solutions, 94-143
fences, 42-45 Somersault, 58
spelling, 10-11
geometry, games with, 12-41 squares, 15, 18-26
Gravity, 50-51 Stingy Matchbox, 63
Guessing Game, 47
Thinking Division and Dividing
Happy Pig, 10 Thoughts, 70-74
historical background, 6- 7 trapezoid, 13
Hypnosis, 49-50 treasure hunters, 73
triangles, 27-35
Illusion, 53-55
Indian Cloth, 58-59 Unbreakable Matchbox, 47-48
Into Nothing, 65
invention of matches, 6-8 Visit with a Shepherd, 42-45
Joseph Game, 72 Word Games, 9-11

144
 &<ms

You strike a match, light a candle,

build a fire, start an oven. Then you
throw away the matchstick.
STOP!
You can “recycle” that burnt matchstick! It has dozens of
uses—they’re all fun—and you’ll find out about them in this
unique “match book.”
Here are magic tricks for budding magicians, fascinating
games for children’s parties, and fabulous stunts—
Example: From 19, take away one
matchstick so that you
have 20 left.
You’ll find easy geometry puzzles for mathematical whizzes,
fully-illustrated word puzzles for the literary-minded, and
brain twisters for logical thinkers of all agfe®.
And don’t worry: If you’re really stump’ed, you can look up
the answers in Jhe back