Just as the Olympics are a test of speed, stamina, strength, strategy and grace, these ingenious puzzles, conundrums and challenges designed by Maslanka are a test of the five principal mental skills: literal, lateral, logical, numerical and visuo-spatial.

Each weekday over the course of the games five puzzles exercising these different mental skills will be published. The answers and solutions will be given at the end of the games.

The Sydney Mind Olympics allows active participation in a world event more directly than does mere spectatorship of the Games from a sofa. It is also a competition that combines luck and skill. Each correct day’s entry sent in entitles the entrant to one ticket in the prize draw. The more correct entries the greater the chances of winning. The draw will take place at the conclusion of The Sydney Mind Olympics.

Chris Maslanka is this country’s leading creator of original puzzles. He has presented three series of Puzzle Panel on BBC Radio 4. He has written four books and designed the puzzles for the CD-Rom Game Drowned God.

Linda Benton is a painter and illustrator currently exhibiting at The Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in Waterloo.

4. The closing date is Sunday 22nd October.

5. Each entry, to be valid, must be accompanied by the name and postal address of the entrant.

6. Entry implies acceptance of the rules.

7. Sydney Mind’s decision is final!

The Prizes

Participation in The Sydney Mind Olympics is its own reward. Nevertheless this year it has been seen fit to award a gold, a silver and a bronze ‘medal’:

                                    Gold medal:            £500
                                    Silver medal:           £250
                                    Bronze medal:         £100

What the critics say:

Maslanka’s puzzles are the intelligence tests of the future - Aric Sigman

A modern day Lewis Carroll - Mensa

Maslanka has changed the face of puzzle writing - Evening Standard

So witty...may remind one of Kafka - Iris Murdoch

The Reverend Richard Pratt (winner of the 1992 Barcelona Mind Olympics) says:

Maslanka is able to produce puzzles which have the important elements of variety, simplicity, naturalness and charm, which combine to give great elegance. Enjoy them!

Previous Mind Olympics

Illustration by Michael Harrington

The Sydney Mind Olympics is the third set of games of its kind. In the 1st Mind Olympics run in 1992 the Guardian gave away a Séat Toledo 1.8 GLi Olimpico car as first prize. A junior version of the games was also run in the children’s newspaper Early Times supported by the BBC. The Atlanta Mind Olympics was published in the Independent in 1996.

Chris Maslanka is this country’s leading creator of original puzzles. He has presented three series of Puzzle Panel on BBC Radio 4. He has written four books and designed the puzzles for the CD-Rom Game Drowned God.

Linda Benton is a painter and illustrator currently exhibiting at The Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in Waterloo.