Day 119 CJSM

Day 119

 

Solo games and giving the grandkids strategic hints

 

We have invested myriad hours entertaining our progeny; they are such fun! Smart, too!

Of an antique  “pie safe” stuffed with board games and various challenges, one of the kids’ favorites is an English-born game akin to, but, totally different from, checkers, is a delight.

A single player tries to remove marbles from the board until only one, single orb remains in the center slot, the others liberated by “jumping” them, one at a time.

A round wooden board of any species will suffice; our own is made of myrtle wood purchased when we resided in beautiful Oregon. The outer edge is routed about 3/8 of an inch to accommodate the marbles used to play the game. 6 columns of 7 holes each are drilled the same depth in the interior of the outer slot; these columns are perpendicular to one another resulting in a total of 25 repositories for the marbles. 24 orbs are placed in all but one of the depressions on the board; the player can leave “open” any hole he/she chooses.

Then, picking a marble one away from the “open” hole, the player jumps a marble and removes it from the board. Round ’n round they go until the player cannot jump a single marble. Again, the idea is to remove all the marbles, save one, and, that marble should end up in the exact center hole of the board. You’ll find this challenge by searching the internet. Various numbers of holes and marbles can make the game more challenging.

There exists a “logical” pattern for removal of the jumped-marbles; to date, I have come close with only “4” orbs remaining; Lady Candice can reach “2” with neither in the center and has succeeded to a dwindling single marble---but…not in the center hole.

In our quest for sacred “family”-time, we “help” the kids with pointed prompts and encouragement; of course, it is not cheating; it’s educational! Somebody?---Help me…cheat!

 

Challenging and educational! Give ’er a whirl! It’s just a game!

 

Ah! Cookie Jar “Solo” Sweet Memories!