The Tower of Hanoi

Three bare pegs stand in a row, and a stacked column of disks waits on the left in The Tower of Hanoi. This classic math puzzle has challenged players since the nineteenth century. Kids can sharpen their attention by reading the order of the pieces. Older players get a steady brain workout from the same layout. The setup looks spare, but the path from one full tower to another takes planning.

How to play?

From the left peg, move only the top disk and place it on an empty post or a larger disk. A bigger piece can't sit on a smaller one, so the stack must stay in size order after every move. When the middle peg holds part of the pile, use that space to free the larger disks underneath. At the right side, recreate the full tower with the same order from largest at the bottom to smallest on top.