Sam Loyd
Encyclopedia
Samuel Loyd born in Philadelphia and raised in New York
, was an American
chess
player, chess composer
, puzzle
author, and recreational mathematician
.
As a chess composer
, he authored a number of chess problem
s, often with interesting themes. At his peak, Loyd was one of the best chess players in the U.S., and was ranked 15th in the world, according to chessmetrics
.com. His playing style was flawed, as he tried to create fantastic combinations over the board, rather than simplifying and going for the win.
He played in the strong Paris 1867 chess tournament
(won by Ignatz von Kolisch) with little success, placing near the bottom of the field.
Following his death, his book Cyclopedia of 5000 Puzzles was published (1914) by his son. His son, named after his father, dropped the 'Jr' from his name and started publishing reprints of his father's puzzles.
Loyd was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame.
calls him "America's greatest puzzler", and The Strand in 1898 dubbed him "the prince of puzzlers".
However, he is also known for lies and self-promotion, and criticized on these grounds – Martin Gardner's assessment continues "but also obviously a hustler", Canadian puzzler Mel Stover called Loyd "an old reprobate", and Matthew Costello calls him both "puzzledom's greatest celebrity...popularizer, genius," but also "huckster...and fast-talking snake oil
salesman."
Loyd claimed from 1891 until his death in 1911 that he invented the fifteen puzzle, for example writing in the Cyclopedia of Puzzles (published 1914), p. 235:
This is false – Loyd had nothing to do with the invention or popularity of the puzzle, and in any case the craze was in 1880, not the early 1870s:
An enthusiast of Tangram
puzzles, Loyd published a book of seven hundred unique Tangram designs and a fanciful history of the origin of the Tangram, which was, however, presented as true, and has been described as "Sam Loyd's Most Successful Hoax
".
s is the following, called "Excelsior
" by Loyd after the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
. White is to move and checkmate
black in five moves against any defense:
Loyd bet a friend that he could not pick a piece that didn't give mate in the main line, and when it was published in 1861 it was with the stipulation that white mates with "the least likely piece or pawn".
Another of Loyd's notable puzzles was the "Trick Donkeys". It was based on a similar puzzle involving dogs published in 1857. In the problem, the solver must cut the drawing along the dotted lines and rearrange the three pieces so that the riders appear to be riding the donkeys.
This is one of Sam Loyd's most famous puzzles.
Loyd's original instructions were to:
First printed in the New York Journal and Advertiser, April 24, 1898 (as far as available evidence indicates).
The solution exists and can be found at details of Back from the Klondike
puzzle.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
player, chess composer
Chess composer
A chess composer is a person who creates endgame studies or chess problems. He usually specializes in a particular genre, e.g. endgame studies, twomovers, threemovers, moremovers, helpmates, selfmates, fairy problems...
, puzzle
Puzzle
A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...
author, and recreational mathematician
Recreational mathematics
Recreational mathematics is an umbrella term, referring to mathematical puzzles and mathematical games.Not all problems in this field require a knowledge of advanced mathematics, and thus, recreational mathematics often attracts the curiosity of non-mathematicians, and inspires their further study...
.
As a chess composer
Chess composer
A chess composer is a person who creates endgame studies or chess problems. He usually specializes in a particular genre, e.g. endgame studies, twomovers, threemovers, moremovers, helpmates, selfmates, fairy problems...
, he authored a number of chess problem
Chess problem
A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by somebody using chess pieces on a chess board, that presents the solver with a particular task to be achieved. For instance, a position might be given with the instruction that White is to move first, and checkmate Black in two...
s, often with interesting themes. At his peak, Loyd was one of the best chess players in the U.S., and was ranked 15th in the world, according to chessmetrics
Chessmetrics
Chessmetrics is a system for rating chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. It is intended as an improvement over the Elo rating system.-Implementation:...
.com. His playing style was flawed, as he tried to create fantastic combinations over the board, rather than simplifying and going for the win.
He played in the strong Paris 1867 chess tournament
Paris 1867 chess tournament
World exhibitions became a new phenomenon in the West in the nineteenth century. Scientific and technical progress were shown. Ten World Fairs were organised during the second half of the nineteenth century. Seven times an international chess tournament was part of the event...
(won by Ignatz von Kolisch) with little success, placing near the bottom of the field.
Following his death, his book Cyclopedia of 5000 Puzzles was published (1914) by his son. His son, named after his father, dropped the 'Jr' from his name and started publishing reprints of his father's puzzles.
Loyd was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame.
Reception
Loyd is widely acknowledged as one of America's great puzzle-writers and popularizers, often mentioned as the greatest – Martin GardnerMartin Gardner
Martin Gardner was an American mathematics and science writer specializing in recreational mathematics, but with interests encompassing micromagic, stage magic, literature , philosophy, scientific skepticism, and religion...
calls him "America's greatest puzzler", and The Strand in 1898 dubbed him "the prince of puzzlers".
However, he is also known for lies and self-promotion, and criticized on these grounds – Martin Gardner's assessment continues "but also obviously a hustler", Canadian puzzler Mel Stover called Loyd "an old reprobate", and Matthew Costello calls him both "puzzledom's greatest celebrity...popularizer, genius," but also "huckster...and fast-talking snake oil
Snake oil
Snake oil is a topical preparation made from the Chinese Water Snake , which is used to treat joint pain. However, the most common usage of the phrase is as a derogatory term for quack medicine...
salesman."
Loyd claimed from 1891 until his death in 1911 that he invented the fifteen puzzle, for example writing in the Cyclopedia of Puzzles (published 1914), p. 235:
- The older inhabitants of Puzzleland will remember how in the early seventies I drove the entire world crazy over a little box of movable pieces which became known as the "14-15 Puzzle".
This is false – Loyd had nothing to do with the invention or popularity of the puzzle, and in any case the craze was in 1880, not the early 1870s:
- Sam Loyd did not invent the 15 puzzle and had nothing to do with promoting or popularizing it. The puzzle craze that was created by the 15 Puzzle began in January 1880 in the US and in April in Europe. The craze ended by July 1880 and Sam Loyd’s first article about the puzzle was not published until sixteen years later, January 1896. Loyd first claimed in 1891 that he invented the puzzle, and he continued until his death a 20 year campaign to falsely take credit for the puzzle. The actual inventor was Noyes Chapman, the Postmaster of Canastota, New York, and he applied for a patent in March 1880.
An enthusiast of Tangram
Tangram
The tangram is a dissection puzzle consisting of seven flat shapes, called tans, which are put together to form shapes. The objective of the puzzle is to form a specific shape using all seven pieces, which may not overlap...
puzzles, Loyd published a book of seven hundred unique Tangram designs and a fanciful history of the origin of the Tangram, which was, however, presented as true, and has been described as "Sam Loyd's Most Successful Hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
".
Excelsior problem
One of his best known chess problemChess problem
A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by somebody using chess pieces on a chess board, that presents the solver with a particular task to be achieved. For instance, a position might be given with the instruction that White is to move first, and checkmate Black in two...
s is the following, called "Excelsior
Excelsior (chess problem)
"Excelsior" is one of Sam Loyd's most famous chess problems, originally published in London Era in 1861, named after the poem "Excelsior" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Loyd had a friend who was willing to wager that he could always find the piece which delivered the principal mate of a chess problem...
" by Loyd after the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
. White is to move and checkmate
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
black in five moves against any defense:
Loyd bet a friend that he could not pick a piece that didn't give mate in the main line, and when it was published in 1861 it was with the stipulation that white mates with "the least likely piece or pawn".
Steinitz Gambit problem
One of the most famous chess problems by Loyd. He wrote on this problem: "The originality of the problem is due to the White King being placed in absolute safety, and yet coming out on a reckless career, with no immediate threat and in the face of innumerable checks".Trick Donkeys problem
Back from the Klondike
Loyd's original instructions were to:
Start from that heart in the center and go three steps in a straight line in any one of the eight directions, north, south, east or west, or on the biasBias (textile)The bias or cross-grain direction of a piece of woven fabric, usually referred to simply as "the bias" or "the cross-grain", is at 45 degrees to its warp and weft threads. Every piece of woven fabric has two biases, perpendicular to each other...
, as the ladies say, northeast, northwest, southeast or southwest. When you have gone three steps in a straight line, you will reach a square with a number on it, which indicates the second day's journey, as many steps as it tells, in a straight line in any of the eight directions. From this new point when reached, march on again according to the number indicated, and continue on, following the requirements of the numbers reached, until you come upon a square with a number which will carry you just one step beyond the border, when you are supposed to be out of the woods and can holler all you want, as you will have solved the puzzle.
First printed in the New York Journal and Advertiser, April 24, 1898 (as far as available evidence indicates).
The solution exists and can be found at details of Back from the Klondike
Back from the Klondike
Back from the Klondike is one of Sam Loyd's most famous puzzles. The following are Sam Loyd's original instructions:Leonhard Euler, the great mathematician, discovered a rule for solving all manner of maze puzzles, which, as all good puzzlists know, depends chiefly upon working backwards...
puzzle.
Books
- Sam Loyd's Book of Tangram Puzzles (ISBN 0-486-22011-7): by Sam Loyd
- Mathematical Puzzles of Sam Loyd (ISBN 0-486-20498-7): selected and edited by Martin GardnerMartin GardnerMartin Gardner was an American mathematics and science writer specializing in recreational mathematics, but with interests encompassing micromagic, stage magic, literature , philosophy, scientific skepticism, and religion...
- More Mathematical Puzzles of Sam Loyd (ISBN 0-486-20709-9): selected and edited by Martin Gardner
- The Puzzle King: Sam Loyd's Chess Problems and Selected Mathematical Puzzles (ISBN 1-886846-05-7): edited by Sid Pickard
- The 15 Puzzle (ISBN 1-890980-15-3): by Jerry Slocum and Dic Sonneveld
- Sam Loyd's Cyclopedia of 5000 Puzzles, Tricks and Conundrums with Answers ISBN 0-923891-78-1
- Sam Loyd and his Chess Problems by Alain C. White
Further reading
- Sam Loyd: His Story and Best Problems, by Andrew SoltisAndrew SoltisAndrew Eden Soltis is a chess Grandmaster, author and columnist.He won at Reggio Emilia 1971–72 and was equal first at New York 1977. He was awarded the International Master title in 1974 and became a Grandmaster in 1980...
, Chess Digest, 1995, ISBN 0-87568-267-7
External links
- Sam Loyd Official Site – includes biography and his puzzles
- Biography from the School of Mathematics and Statistics website at the University of St AndrewsUniversity of St AndrewsThe University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
Chess
Interactive puzzle
- Farmer and Wife to Catch Rooster and Hen - interactive Sam Loyd's puzzle
- Solve Loyd's 16 squares puzzle interactively
Books
- The Sam Loyd Cyclopedia of Puzzles - The complete 1914 book by Sam Loyd (public domain) scanned
- Math Games – The Sam Loyd Cyclopedia of Puzzles, by Ed Pegg Jr., January 3, 2005 – announcement of scans and overview
- Index of Math Puzzles, by Don Knuth