Henry Ernest Dudeney/Modern Puzzles/206 - The 37 Puzzle Game

Modern Puzzles by Henry Ernest Dudeney: $206$

The $37$ Puzzle Game

Here is a beautiful new puzzle game, absurdly simple to play but quite fascinating.

To most people it will seem to be practically a game of chance -- equal for both players --

but there are pretty subtleties in it, and I will show how to win with certainty.

Place the five dominoes $1$, $2$, $3$, $4$, $5$, on the table.

There are two players, who play alternately.

The first player places a coin on any domino, say the $5$, which scores $5$;

then the second player removes the coin to another domino, say to the $3$,

and adds that domino, scoring $8$;

then the first player removes the coin again, say to the $1$, scoring $9$; and so on.

The player who scores $37$, or forces his opponent to score more than $37$, wins.

Remember, the coin must be removed to a different domino at each play.

Sources

• 1926: Henry Ernest Dudeney: Modern Puzzles ... (previous) ... (next): Puzzle Games: $206$. -- The $37$ Puzzle Game
• 1968: Henry Ernest Dudeney: 536 Puzzles & Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Game Puzzles: $475$. The $37$ Puzzle Game