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Sport Puzzles
Logic puzzles set in the world of sport, for kids 8 to 12: a youth baseball season and a youth basketball season. One right answer every game.
Logic on the pitch
Try one now
Your first training session
Twelve players, three possible formations, and the manager's brief. Exactly one seven-a-side lineup obeys every item: find it by reasoning.
- Each player can only play in the zones of his roles.
- Pick one of the three formations and put one player in each of its zones. Everyone else sits on the bench.
- Every item of the brief is true. When your lineup keeps them all, check the solution.
The formations
- 2-3-1 G3 D2 D4 M1 M3 M5 A3
- 3-2-1 G3 D2 D3 D4 M2 M4 A3
- 2-1-2-1 G3 D2 D4 H3 M2 M4 A3
The squad
| No. | Player | Roles | FORM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baker | GK | 7 |
| 2 | Collins | RB | 7 |
| 4 | Whitmore | CB | 6 |
| 5 | Pryor | CB | 9 |
| 6 | Lindqvist | CB, DM | 4 |
| 7 | Hollis | RM, RW | 8 |
| 8 | Turner | CM, DM | 7 |
| 9 | Kellan | ST | 8 |
| 11 | Delgado | LW, LM | 5 |
| 14 | Nwosu | CM | 7 |
| 16 | Varga | DM, CM | 5 |
| 18 | Sato | CM, RM | 7 |
The manager's brief
- Every starter on the right side has FORM 7 or higher.
- Nwosu plays in midfield.
- Lindqvist plays on the left side.
- Whitmore plays in defense.
- Turner plays on the left side.
Formation 3-2-1. G3: Baker (1) · D2: Lindqvist (6) · D3: Whitmore (4) · D4: Pryor (5) · M2: Turner (8) · M4: Nwosu (14) · A3: Kellan (9)
Bench: Collins (2), Hollis (7), Delgado (11), Varga (16), Sato (18).
The manager's notes
- Clue 1: Whitmore can't play in D4, Lindqvist can't play in D4, and Varga can't play in M4.
- Clue 2: Nwosu must start. Clue 3: Lindqvist plays in D2. Clue 4: Whitmore must start. Clue 5: Turner plays in M2.
- Turner must start in M2, and the 2-3-1 has no such place, so it is ruled out.
- Each of these zones has only one candidate left: Baker for G3, Pryor for D4, and Kellan for A3.
- All 7 starters are known, so Varga starts on the bench.
- Nobody can still play in H3, so the 2-1-2-1 is ruled out.
- The lineup is complete. Formation 3-2-1: Kellan (#9) in A3, Turner (#8) in M2, Nwosu (#14) in M4, Lindqvist (#6) in D2, Whitmore (#4) in D3, Pryor (#5) in D4, and Baker (#1) in G3.
This squad can line up in 210 different ways in these three formations. Exactly one obeys the whole brief. Not the most likely one. The only one.
In the book: 30 matchdays like this one, harder and harder, with a whole season around them. About the book