How did you get on with last week’s Sudoku? Would you like more? This week we have something a little different.
I got it from Raymond Chandler, you know the guy? Writer, gumshoe, loved a mean street. Anyway, turns out he loves a good puzzle too, and this one is more than good. He heard I liked coin flipping mysteries (see this news item from last year) and thought I might like this one. See what you make of it!
The night was black and wet, and the cave was worse. I went in looking for shelter and found a troll instead. He was ugly the way a fist is ugly—big, raw, and ready to break something. Behind him sat a mountain of coins. Thousands. Gold on one side, silver on the other. Half with the gold sides grinning at me, the others had turned their pale cheeks up. The troll laid it out flat. “Two piles. Same number of silver facing up in each; miss, and you’re dead.” Then he killed the torch. The dark came down heavy, thick enough to choke on. I couldn’t see. Didn’t matter. Guessing was suicide …
I guess I could just tell you the rest of the story, but where’s the fun in that – can you figure out how our gumshoe walked out of that cave alive?
