Playing with matches can be hazardous, but not always. Do you know matchstick puzzles are great fun and can boost your logic skills? Plus you don’t have to strike the matches! These puzzles will only fire up your brain.
Here are 21 matchstick puzzles for you that will test your ability to incorporate logic into the thinking process when analyzing a problem in order to come up with a solution. Let’ see how many puzzles you can solve without looking at the solution.
1. 2 triangles to 4
Here are two triangles made of six matches. Move only two matches to new positions to form 4 triangles. You are allowed to overlap matches.
Solution
Keep the matches in the left hand triangle intact.
From the right hand triangle, pick one match on the far right and place it on the gap between the two original triangles at the top. Then pick the bottom right match and place it across the middle of the two new triangles.
Now you can see two new small triangles within the two bigger triangles – a total of four triangles.
2. Swimming fish
Move only 3 matches so that the fish swims to the right. No overlapping.
Solution
3. Move 2 matchsticks to form 3 triangles.
Solution
Move the top two matches from the bigger triangle and touch it to the top vertices of the smaller triangle that will make the three triangles.
4. 1 Arrow to 2
You need to form 2 smaller arrows by moving 4 matches only.
Solution
5. Move 2 matchsticks to form 11 squares.
Solution
6. Create a square by moving just 1 stick
Solution
Move the north pointing stick slightly to the top so it’s bottom edge meets the other matchsticks’ ends forming a square in the negative space.
7. 16 squares to none
Remove 9 matches so that no square (of any size) remains.
Solution
