Ken's blog

On a winter’s evening, two couples, Jack and Jill, Willy and Lola, went to the famous French restaurant Chez Clouseau in New York to delight their taste buds with a three star Michelin cuisine.

After entering the plush lobby, they had to check their coats in the wardrobe, which was attended by Molly, a distrait blonde.

“Welcome to Chez Clouseau, y’all. Please check in your coats, y’all” said Molly, gracefully extending her arm, fingers glittering with rings.

The couples obliged and were handed four numbered plastic cards engraved with the Chez Clouseau logo, an inscripton with two crossed red wine bottles on a fleur-de-lis background, upon which they were led at a brisk but elegant pace by the maitre d’ to their table.

After dining at a tastefully set table with dishes crisscrossed in an artistically random fashion with sprayed-on green stripes – just missing some small stacks of colorful tidbits – drinking expensive vintage Bordeaux wine, and then paying the exorbitant bill, the couples returned in a financially decimated and bewildered state to the wardrobe to at least recover their coats.

“Our coats please,” commanded Jack, handing the plastic cards to Molly so she could connect the right owner with the right coat.

“Thank you mister,” beamed Molly with a charming smile. Just then a handsome French waiter passed by with a tray holding several full wine glasses, and Molly’s eyes glued onto and followed the garçon, dropping the plastic cards, which fell helter-skelter in a random fashion on the floor behind the wardrobe counter.

“Oops,” she blushed all flustered, “Really, how could this all have happened, y’all.”

She quickly checked the numbers on the plastic cards and handed Jack and Jill and Herman and Lola the coats corresponding to the numbers on the cards and the coat rack.

As the ordered taxi was beeping loudly outside, the two couples grabbed the coats given to them and raced out the door in a rush to leave. Molly didn’t get a tip.

What is the probability that at least one of the four received their own coat on checking this in the taxi? And the probability that one of the couples both received their own coat? That both couples received their respective own coats?

After a great battle with a Spanish treasure fleet, Captain Long John Silver decides to share the booty with his loyal crew.

Standing on the aftcastle Captain Silver summons the crew.

“Sea dogs,” he booms, “the treasure chest you see before you contains 10,000 doubloons you have liberated from the Spanish crown, and will be shared fairly among ye, Our navigator Leonard says he has devised a sure way to do so. Isn’t that right Leonard?”

“Here is what you do: Jack, the First Mate, takes A doubloons and the 20th part of the remainder in the treasure chest. Peg Leg, the Bosun, takes 2A doubloons and the 20th part of the remainder in the treasures chest,” shouted the Captain.

“The rest of you continue taking A doubloons more than your predecessor and the 20th part of the remainder in the treasure chest, and by gum, I declare that the treasure chest will be divided equally among you,” he growled, a golden tooth glinting. Leonard guarantees it, isn’t that so Leonard,” giving him a threatening look.

How many crew members does Captain Silver have, and how many doubloons was the equal share worth.

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I may not answer you directly, but will certainly post answers, partial answers or hints.

Thank you for your interest in my puzzle blog.

Casino manager Mango is worried about the new dice game “Elevens and Twelves” he invented, as the casino is losing money on it at a rate of about 1%. He fears that casino owner Don Corleone will certainly not be very happy about this.

The game is based on throwing three dice and getting 11 or 12 as a result. The casino pays even money to the player on throws of 11 and the player loses on throws of 12.

Players throw the three dice until they get an 11 or a 12. Then they can make another bet and repeat the process.

Mango had studied probability theory, made some calculations and concluded that the casino would make a profit of about 1% on this game, but, alas, it has not been working out that way.

How did Mango mess this up?

Sir Lancelot with his squire Jerkin wants to rescue the lovely princess Jennivere, kept prisoner by the Black Knight in his impregnable castle.

His obstacle is a rectangular moat full of poisonous dragon fish.

Looking about for useful resources, Jerkin finds two planks each of which is exactly as long at the moat is wide.

How will they get across without falling into the moat?