“You and your best friend Bill are the greatest bards in the kingdom— but maybe not the brightest. Your hit song has insulted the king and now you’re slated for execution. Luckily, Death is a connoisseur of most excellent music and has decided to give you a chance to escape your fate. Can you beat him at a life-sized game of Snakes and Ladders and live to sing another day?”
Which ladders should you climb? What do you do about the snakes? How can you reach the 100th room to escape the cavern? And can both of you escape along two different routes with just five magic dice rolls each?
It is possible! Pause at the rules screen in the video to try and solve this challenge before the video reveals the answer. This TED-Ed lesson is by educator Shravan S K, with animation by Igor Coric, Artrake Studio. The rules are also here for review:
Plus, learn some Snakes and Ladders game history, and try this DIY Snakes and Ladders Board Creator by Gowri Satya, via Shravan S K.
Then watch more TED-Ed riddle videos, including:
• A Riddle of Ice and Fire Dragons
• Can you solve the birthday cake riddle?
• Can you solve the Leonardo da Vinci riddle?
• Can you solve the honeybee riddle?
• Can you solve the fish riddle?
• Can you solve the penniless pilgrim riddle?
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