Mastermind - fun and logic

by Lauri Griffin | More from this Blogger

26 Aug 2007 09:56 AM

Mastermind is a great game for introducing or encouraging logical reasoning. One player picks four colored pegs and hides them on the end of the board. The other players uses educated guesses to figure out "the code" of colored pegs. There are six colors to pick from. One the code breaker guesses, the code maker places tiny black and white pegs off to the side. A black peg means you have a correct color in the correct position. A white peg means you have a correct color in your guess, but it's not in the correct position.

Officially it's a two player game. I sometimes play it with my twins and we take turns guessing. This works because they don't have to wait so long for their turn, but it also helps me model good guessing. I will talk out loud as I formulate my reasoning. "I put a red peg in the first hole last time and there were none in the right place. I will try the red peg in the second hole this time."

To make Mastermind easier for young children you can limit the colors of pegs. It's easier to figure out a code of four or five colors instead of six. You can also make the tiny black and white key pegs correspond to the positions on the board. In this way the young child can quickly figure out which pegs are wrong. This helps them figure out the game in a less frustrating way. Once they understand you can go back to the official rules. Mastermind also makes a Kids Edition with jungle animal pegs.

To make Mastermind harder, you can allow blank code holes. This is essentially having seven color choices instead of six. You can also allow repeats of colors. If you allow unlimited repeats it really makes the game hard. The game makers also make an Advanced Edition that allows for five code pegs and twelve guesses.

It's a fairly quick game to play. Games usually last us around five to seven minutes. I feel good that our brains are having to work and that we are having fun, too.

The only drawback of Mastermind is all the very tiny pegs. It's easy to spill and lose them. For a similar game done with pencil and paper, see "Bulls and Cows".

More Brainy Fun:

Sudoko Fun

Gemsweeper

Bulls and Cows

Learn more about Lauri Griffin

Lauri lives in Colorado with her husband and three sons. Amidst all the laundry and packing of lunches, she tries to keep parenting fun.

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Tristi Pinkston (10839) 26 Aug 2007 11:54 PM

I absolutely adore Mastermind. My husband and I got it from our library and I got hooked in a fast hurry. He got bored of it pretty quickly so he'd just set it up for me, and I'd play it by the hour. He wouldn't let me check it back out again . . . the meany. :) But now there's "Lingo" on the Game Show Network, which is a lot like Mastermind, only with words.

Lauri Griffin (2703) 29 Aug 2007 05:28 PM

Tristi, I'll take a look at "Lingo". That sounds like fun!

Teresa McEntire (2984) 12 Sep 2007 02:36 PM

I loved playing mastermind as a child. Now my son enjoys playing it when he goes to Grandpa and Grandma's house. It's a great game for logical reasoning. I love games that teach and entertain.

Teresa McEntire (2984) 12 Sep 2007 02:36 PM

I loved playing mastermind as a child. Now my son enjoys playing it when he goes to Grandpa and Grandma's house. It's a great game for logical reasoning. I love games that teach and entertain.

Lauri Griffin (2703) 12 Sep 2007 08:31 PM

Exactly, Teresa! Games that teach and entertain are the best!