In brief: To un-entangled from two cress-crossed ropes.
Intensity: Medium
Introduction: A seeming-easy-yet-impossible-but-the- solution-is-so-simple puzzle. The original name for this game is called ‘ Almost Infinite Circle’.
Prop(s): A 2-metre cord for each player.
How to play:
- Ask the members to pair up.
- Tie the 2 ends of the cord to the wrists of the players, with the string crisscrossing between the pair.
- Each pair needs to figure out a way to release themselves from each other without untying or loosening the strings from their wrists.
Variation(s):
- Once the players have found the answer, have several players link themselves together in a similar way, their lines crisscrossing among one another. Ask them to release themselves in the least number of moves.
Notes to the Facilitator:
In trying to solve the problem, players will usually try to pass the cords over one another and step over the cord. You can use this game to illustrate that sometime, the solution to the problem may not be as complicated as it seemed. Click here for answer.