Prisoner to be freed

The warden meets with 23 new prisoners when they arrive. He tells them, "You may meet today and plan a strategy. But after today, you will be in isolated cells and will have no communication with one another.

"In the prison is a switch room, which contains two light switches labeled 1 and 2, each of which can be in either up or the down position. I am not telling you their present positions. The switches are not connected to anything.

"After today, from time to time whenever I feel so inclined, I will select one prisoner at random and escort him to the switch room. This prisoner will select one of the two switches and reverse its position. He must flip one switch when he visits the switch room, and may only flip one of the switches. Then he'll be led back to his cell.

"No one else will be allowed to alter the switches until I lead the next prisoner into the switch room. I'm going to choose prisoners at random. I may choose the same guy three times in a row, or I may jump around and come back. I will not touch the switches, if I wanted you dead you would already be dead.

"Given enough time, everyone will eventually visit the switch room the same number of times as everyone else. At any time, anyone may declare to me, 'We have all visited the switch room.'

"If it is true, then you will all be set free. If it is false, and somebody has not yet visited the switch room, you will all die horribly. You will be carefully monitored, and any attempt to break any of these rules will result in instant death to all of you"

What is the strategy they come up with so that they can be free?




Similar Riddles

In an office's desk, you find a unique method that shows the current day of the month. Two numbered cubes are used to depict the current date.

Can you find out the numbers on both the cubes so that each date can be mentioned using them?

Please note that you have to use both the cubes to display any date. Thus the 1st day must be represented by 01 and so on.

Asked by Neha on 14 May 2023


A container contains 100 eggs. They can be either fresh or rotten. What is sure is the fact that there is at least one fresh egg in that container.

If you are asked to pick two eggs randomly from the container, at least one of them will be rotten.

Can you calculate how many eggs in that container are fresh?

Asked by Neha on 19 Nov 2023

Can you name some countries which do not have the alphabet 'A' in them?

Asked by Neha on 17 Aug 2024


Can you guess the name of the month by looking the below rebus ?

The Month Rebus

Asked by Neha on 24 Mar 2023

Count the number of triangles in the picture below:

Counting You Should Know

Asked by Neha on 16 Jul 2024

Consider this about a word: The first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four letters signify a great, while the entire world signifies a great woman. What is the word?

Asked by Neha on 08 Jun 2025


There are six people in a family namely M, N, O, P, Q and R.

R and O are brother and sister.

N is the brother of Q's husband.
P is the father of M and grandfather of R.

How many male members are in the family?

Asked by Neha on 22 Oct 2023

Two guards were on duty outside a barracks. One faced up the road to watch for anyone approaching from the North. The other looked down the road to see if anyone approached from the South. Suddenly one of them said to the other, "Why are you smiling?"

How did he know his companion was smiling?

Asked by Neha on 24 Apr 2022

Can you solve the tricky chess rebus puzzle below by ciphering the hidden meaning?

Chess Rebus Riddle

Asked by Neha on 19 Dec 2020


What goes through cities and fields, but never moves?

Asked by Neha on 10 Mar 2025

Hot Articles

Amazing Facts

Jigsaw puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles soared in popularity during the great depression, as they provided a cheap, long-lasting, recyclable form of entertainment.