Introduction
Do brainteasers or computer games have a positive impact on brain activity?The answer is a resounding “yes.” For the last fifteen years we have known that the brain is elastic and it remains so until late in life. Its structure develops constantly as a reaction to your experiences. The more your brain is stimulated, the better your mental condition will be.
An active brain is a better brain.Proverbial wisdom says “a healthy mind in a healthy body.” So you are in control of at least part of this equation. Tests have shown that physical exertion stimulates neurogenesis: those who exercise make significantly more brain cells, which are also granted a longer life. More brain cells ensure better brainpower and better long-term memory.
Brain sport at its best.This book offers a huge variety of puzzles that will exercise your brain. The puzzles test logical insight, the ability to concentrate, and memory and knowledge. Puzzle solving will not give you a super brain, but you will learn skills for remembering things better and give certain brain activities an extra boost. If you can’t solve certain puzzles, don’t look up the answers—just try again later. Finding the solution is much more fun than knowing the solution.
The Puzzles
1. Word SearchWord searches are one of the most popular types of puzzles. The object of this puzzle is to find and mark all the hidden words inside the grid. The words may be hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally, in both directions. The letters that remain unused form a key word when read in reading direction. Hints:
An efficient method for finding the words is to go through the puzzle per column and look for the first letter of the word. If you find one, then look at the surrounding letters to see if the next letter is there. Do this until you find the whole word. Another useful strategy is to look for words with double letters or letters that are highly noticeable such as Q, X and Z.
2. SudokuThe classic Sudoku with a 9x9 grid is still the most popular one. These completely irresistible, totally addictive puzzles offer a fun challenge that keeps fans entertained for hours. All of our Sudokus can be solved by using logic and were created using human logarithms. You should never have to guess what figure to use.
3. AnagramsRearrange the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; for example “give her two” can be rearranged into “overweight”. Extra letters are already in the right place.
4. Letter BlocksMove the letter blocks around to form words on top and below that you can associate with a theme. In some puzzles, on one or two blocks, the letter from the top row has been switched with the letter from the bottom row.
5. BrainteasersTo solve our brainteasers you must think logically. Use one or several strategies such as direction, differences and/or similarities, associations, calculations, order, spatial insight, colors, quantities, and distances. Our brainteasers ensure that all of the brain’s capacities are utilized.
6. Golf mazesStart at the cell with a ball and a number on it. Then draw the shortest route from the ball to the hole, the only square without a number. You can only move along vertical and horizontal lines, but not along diagonals. The figure on each square indicates the number of squares the ball must move in the same direction. You can change directions at each stop.
Hints:
Start at the hole and try to find the cell from where you can reach the hole, and then start from the ball.
7. One Letter Less or MoreThe word below contains the letters of the word above plus or minus the letter in the middle. One letter is already in the right place.
8. Binairo®Hey, puzzle fans, get ready for a great new number challenge: Binairo®. These puzzles are just as simple and challenging as Sudoku, but that is where the similarity ends.
Just fill in the grid until there are five zeros and five ones in every row and every column. You can’t have more than two of the same number next to or under each other, or have two identical rows or columns.
Hints:
Look for duos of the same number and put the other number before and behind it. Try to avoid trios by entering a zero between two ones or a one between two zeros. Don’t forget to count: if you already have five zeros in a row or column, fill in the rest with ones.
9. Word PyramidEach word in the pyramid has the letters of the word above it, plus a new letter.
Hints:
Work your way down from top to bottom. If you can’t solve a word, skip the line and try to solve the next one.
10. Doodle puzzleA doodle puzzle is a combination of images, letters and/or numbers that indicate a word or a concept.
Hints:
If you cannot solve a doodle puzzle, do not look at the answer right away but come back later. Try to think outside the box.
11. Find the WordKnowing that every arrow points to a letter and that no letter can touch another vertically, horizontally or diagonally, find the missing letters that form a key word when read in order. We show one letter in a circle to help you get started.
Hints:
Cross out all letters surrounding a letter that you have found.
12. ConnectLink all circles with straight horizontal or vertical lines into one connected group. The numbers tell how many lines are connected to a circle. There can be no more than two lines in the same direction and lines cannot cross circles or other lines.
Hints:
A one cannot connect to another one. A two cannot have two connections to another two. A three in a corner must have at least one connection in each direction. A four in a corner has two connections in each direction. A five at the edge must have at least one connection in each direction. A six at the edge has two connections in each direction. A seven in the middle must have at least one connection in each direction. An eight in the middle has two connections in each direction.
Copyright © 2019 by Peter De Schepper (Author); Frank Coussement (Author). All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
