The undiscovered country from which a puzzle returns
IT ONLY took 32 years to solve Enigma No 45. The version of the weekly Â鶹´«Ã½ puzzle that was set in the issue of 3 January 1980 – a problem in linear algebra – was, it seemed, too difficult even for Â鶹´«Ã½‘s notoriously clever readers. The deadline for responses passed and, two weeks later on 17 January, Enigma’s editor announced: “No correct solutions were received for Enigma No 45.”
“Frequently we see signs warning us: “wet floor”. Perry Bebbington cannot help seeing these as an instruction – which if followed would require the presence of a…
