(or “Oh, I used to have one of those!”)

I started compiling a list for this feature, of ten classic puzzles, and then realised that all of the classics on my list, with the exception of Rubik’s Cube and dated from before 1970, so I decided to restrict the Classics list to pre-1970, so Rubik’s Cube is now in 10 Modern Classic Puzzles.

Then I had to decide how to define ‘Classic’. I wanted puzzles that had been around for a long time, that were simple in concept, geographically ubiquitous, and that everyone had when they were a child. I came up with quite a few, so then I had to decide how to define ‘10’…

Tangram

Pentominoes

The Tower of Hanoi

“Bosun’s Puzzle”

Chinese Rings

Soma Cube

Kumiki Cube

Flexagons

Pigs in Clover

Fifteen Puzzle

Six-Piece Burr

Bent Nails