On one level, sudoku is a simple and fun way to pass the time and keep the brain ticking – but dig deeper, and some ...

Tiling a two-dimensional bathroom floor is a straightforward home renovation, but researchers have found that in higher dimensions it could blossom into a baffling mess of nonrepeating chaos. New ...

Daily puzzlers would be quick to tell you that sudoku, Wordle’s mathematical cousin, is not as easy as it looks. The small grid, found often next to a word scramble or comic strip in a print newspaper ...

Not since the Rubik's Cube of 1980 has a puzzle been this hot. From its mind-teasers have sprung clubs, competitions, computer-games and a cult-like following. It has become a fresh way to ...

Pens, pencils and a facility with numbers. Also helpful: earplugs, plushies, a water bottle, calming herbal oil and the occasional “wild bifurcation” (a.k.a. a wild guess). Competitors at the World ...