| | | |
--------------------------- ---------------------------

This is the simplest; but a more elaborate plan is to so arrange the
figures that any form of the blocks will form a square sum of 34. See
the annexed solution, which the ingenious in may still further
complicate:

----------------------------
| | | | |
| 16 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
| | | | |
|---------------------------|
| | | | |
| 5 | 10 | 11 | 8 |
| | | | |
|---------------------------|
| | | | |
| 9 | 6 | 7 | 12 |
| | | | |
|---------------------------|
| | | | |
| 4 | 15 | 14 | 1 |
| | | | |
----------------------------

2593. Fox and Geese.

This old-fashioned game is played on a solitaire board. Seventeen
geese occupy the upper part of the board lines, with the fox in the
middle, thus:

o--o--o
| | |
o--o--o
| | |
o--o--o--o--o--o--o
| | | | | | |
o--o--+--F--+--o--o
| | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+--+
| | |
+--+--+
| | |
+--+--+

The object of the game is to confine the fox in a corner, so that he
cannot move. The geese march forward in straight lines, not on the
diagonals; and whenever a goose is on the spot next the fox, the
latter can take him, as in draughts, by jumping over to the vacant
spot beyond. The fox can move backwards, forwards, or sideways on the
straight lines; but the geese must go forward, and are not allowed to
retreat. Properly played, the geese must win; but when the number of
geese is reduced to six, it is impossible for them to confine the fox.

There are several ways of playing the game, by placing the fox and
geese in other positions, or by insisting on the fox catching all the
geese. In the latter case, the fox chooses his own starting place. The
game may also be played with eight geese and a fox.

Another way of playing this game is on an ordinary draughtboard, with
four white men for the geese, and a black king for the fox. The geese
can only move forward, but the fox moves either way. The object of the
gee