How Tristan Survived King and His Knight's Fate

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a riddle involving a king, his knight Tristan, and a bag containing stones that determine Tristan's fate. Participants explore various hypothetical strategies Tristan could use to survive the king's challenge, which involves deception and manipulation of the situation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that Tristan could pour red paint into the bag before reaching in.
  • Another proposes that Tristan could ask the queen to switch the stones around.
  • A different idea involves Tristan checking if the red stone has a noticeable shape.
  • One participant mentions using sleight-of-hand with another red stone as a possible tactic.
  • Another suggestion includes using a magnet, assuming the red stone is made of iron.
  • One participant references a similar riddle and suggests that Tristan could dump the contents of the bag on the table to expose the king's cheating.
  • Another idea involves Tristan making a scene and cutting his hand to let blood drip into the bag before picking a stone.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on a definitive solution to the riddle. Multiple competing ideas and strategies are presented, reflecting a variety of interpretations and approaches to the problem.

Contextual Notes

Some strategies rely on assumptions about the physical properties of the stones or the king's willingness to allow certain actions. The discussion does not resolve the implications of these assumptions.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in riddles, problem-solving strategies, or hypothetical scenarios involving deception and critical thinking may find this discussion engaging.

Edgardo
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Once upon a time, there was a king, who found out that his wife, the queen, had an affair with Tristan, one of his knights. He gets mad and calls all his knights and Tristan:
"I found out that you have a relationship with the queen, Tristan. Tomorrow morning, I will give you a bag with 3 white stones and 1 red stone. If you pick out the red stone, you are a free man. But if you pick out a white stone, you will be executed."
In the evening, the king prepares the bag with the stones. But he wants to get sure that Tristan picks out a white stone, so he puts in 4 white stones and 1 red stone to increase the probability of picking out a white stone.
The queen notices that and during the night she tells Tristan what she saw.

The next morning, Tristan is called to come to the king and his knights. The king gives him the bag.

How does Tristan survive?
 
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He covertly pours red paint into the bag just before reaching in? He tells the queen to switch around the stones? He asks her to find out if the red stone has a noticeable shape? He looks inside the bag? He uses some sleight-of-hand with another red stone? He uses a magnet (assuming the red is iron)?[/color]
 
As with the riddle of the daughter and the black and white pebble:

The Knight dumps the contents of the bag on the table for all to see, and let's the rest of the Knights deal with a cheating King.

(Not really the answer, but I've never understood why anyone who is forced to play a game concedes to playing by the rules.)
 
LoL, Dave got it. But please put the letters in white so others can't see the solution.
 
what about going up to the bag, making a scene, cutting his hand (now over the bag), let the blood drip into the bag and then picking out a stone?
 
LoL
:biggrin:
 
Edgardo said:
LoL, Dave got it. But please put the letters in white so others can't see the solution.
I did? I didn't mean to! Surely that's not the answer!

I assumed it was a variation on this teaser!
 
T@P said:
what about going up to the bag, making a scene, cutting his hand (now over the bag), let the blood drip into the bag and then picking out a stone?

Ooh. That's a good one.
 

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