Matchstick puzzles were popularized in the 19th century when mass-produced matchsticks first became available. Match manufacturers started putting simple puzzles on their boxes, and the concept took off. People loved how compact and deceptively tricky matchstick puzzles could be. Lots of money was won and lost in bars betting on matchsticks.
These 10 puzzles are original creations based on the stock symbols of companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The puzzles test your thinking-outside-the-box creativity and your familiarly with some of the more than 2,400 NYSE-listed symbols. The challenges start easy but get progressively more difficult. There may be alternate solutions to some of the puzzles. As a bonus, you may learn something useful about the NYSE-listed companies invoked.
The rules for solving matchbook puzzles are simple. You are given a configuration of matchsticks. Read the directions carefully. You are asked to move, add, or remove one or two matchsticks to create a new configuration. You can move, rotate and place matchsticks as you wish, but you are not allowed to break, bend, overlap or cross them—much the same as SEC rules. Enjoy and good luck.