The Book of Medieval Puzzles

I recently was given a copy of The Book of Medieval Puzzles, written by Tim Dedopulos. It is a cute collection of riddles and brain-teasers that was inspired by the Middle Ages. There are even a few items that are based on actual medieval puzzles. Moreover, it is a beautiful book with lots of manuscript illuminations included - the Nuremberg Chronicle seems to have been heavily used. If you like these little challenges, or want to test your kids, it is worth having.

Here is one of the conudrums they present - something our medieval warfare fans will enjoy:

Knight’s Move

Two crusaders, Blaise and Rickard, were tasked with patrolling a stretch of pilgrim trail through bandit-infested territory. They started one seven-day patrol 14 miles apart, both travelling from 6 am to 6 pm each day, in the same direction. 

Blaise was getting a little old for patrol duty, and his stamina was poor. He started from the base. On the first day, his patrol took him 10 miles, but each day after that, as his strength waned, he went a mile less than the day before. By contrast, Rickard - who was ahead of Blaise at the start - was recovering from a nasty injury. The first day, he only managed to walk two miles, but each day after that he was able to walk another two miles further than he had the day before.

Where and when did the two crusaders meet along the road?

The answer is at the bottom of this post.

You can take a look at this book from this Youtube video
 

The answer: They meet twice, at midday on the third day (23 miles out from the base), and at the end of the fourth day (34 miles from the base). Cumulatively; the two men’s distances travelled are 0+10=10 / 14+2 = 16 at the end of day 1; 19 / 20 on day 2; 27 / 26 on day 3, the day when Blaise passes Rickard; 34 / 34 on day 4, when Rickard catches back up to Blaise; 40 / 44 on day 5; 45 / 56 on day 6; and 49 / 70 on day 7.

You can buy The Book of Medieval Puzzles from Carlton Books - click here to visit the publisher.