The Joker - Solution

by
Erik Oosterwal




Two questions need to be figured out before solving this puzzle: In what ways can the cards be laid out so that no card is next to its immediate senior, and in what ways do the Kings and Queens face.

The solution to the first question is similar to the solution to the 8 Boxes puzzle on The Puzzle Page: The Jack and Ace must be in the two middle positions.  If either is in an outside position then there is no way to arrange the three remaining cards so that none is next to its immediate senior.  There are only two ways to arrange the cards with the Jack and Ace in the middle and they are mirror images of each other so our final solution is either:

Queen Ace Jack King


or

King Jack Ace Queen


Standard playing cards use the following pattern to determine which way the royal family is facing:

Jack

 Queen

King
Clubs Right> Right> <Left
Diamonds Right> Right> <Left
Spades Right> <Left Right>
Hearts Right> <Left <Left


We were told that the Heart is not next to the Club, which means that because the colors alternate, the Club and Heart must be on the ends.  Since the King and Queen are on the ends, one must be a Heart and the other a Club.  If the King were a Club, then the Queen would have to be a Heart, but both of those cards face the same direction, so we are left with the case where the King is a Heart and the Queen a Club.

The final solution is:

Queen
of
Clubs

Ace
of
Diamonds

Jack
of
Spades

King
of
Hearts

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All original puzzles and solutions are © Erik Oosterwal 1993-2008

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