Tricky Test 2 Level 101

Overview

The prompt at the top reads "Remove 6 matches to form 3 diamond shapes." The play area shows a large equilateral triangle built from wooden matches (red tips), subdivided by internal matches into a small triangular grid — this is the classic side-3 triangle of 18 matches that contains nine small triangles. At the bottom are two controls: a circular reset button on the left and an oval SUBMIT button on the right. There is no timer pressure; you tap matches to remove them one at a time and tap SUBMIT when you think the remaining matches make exactly three diamonds (rhombi). The trap is that most people try to keep big triangles intact instead of thinking in pairs of small triangles.

• Difficulty: Regular
• Estimated moves: 6 (tap 6 matches to remove them, then SUBMIT)

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Study the starting triangle. It is a big equilateral triangle made of matches, divided into a grid of small equilateral triangles. A "diamond" on this screen means a rhombus: two small triangles stuck together along one edge (one pointing up, one pointing down).
2. Decide on the target shape before tapping anything. The accepted solution leaves three rhombi all meeting at the central junction point of the original big triangle: one rhombus pointing up near the top, one rhombus in the lower-left, and one rhombus in the lower-right. They share the centre point but do not share edges.
3. Tap the matches that are NOT part of those three rhombi to remove them. You must remove exactly 6 matches. Concretely, remove:

• The outer slanted match on the far-left edge of the big triangle (the left side of the leftmost small triangle).
• The outer slanted match on the far-right edge of the big triangle (the right side of the rightmost small triangle).
• The bottom outer match segments that are not used by the two lower rhombi.
• The internal matches that enclose the three small triangles you are discarding (the corner triangles that do not belong to any kept rhombus).

1. After each tap, look at the remaining figure. You want it to look like the finished picture: a single central junction with four matches radiating out, from which three closed rhombi hang — one on top and one on each lower side.
2. Check that you have removed exactly 6 matches. If you removed more or fewer, use the circular reset button and start again.
3. Once the remaining matches form exactly three closed diamond/rhombus shapes with no extra triangles, tap the oval SUBMIT button. The game accepts it and advances.

Strategy & Reasoning

The key realization is that a diamond (rhombus) is two small triangles glued along an edge. The big triangle starts with nine small triangles. Three diamonds use six small triangles, so three small triangles are left over — and the six matches you must remove are exactly the matches that bound those three discarded corner triangles.

Trying to keep the outer big triangle whole fails, because the outer boundary contains edges that belong to the discarded corner triangles. Trying to make the three diamonds in a row (side by side) also fails, because the grid geometry does not fit three horizontal rhombi inside the triangle without extra matches remaining.

The arrangement that works is the "three-radiating-rhombi" star: all three rhombi touch the centre point of the original big triangle. This uses 12 matches (3 rhombi × 4 edges) and leaves 6 matches removed, which matches the instruction "Remove 6 matches to form 3 diamond shapes."

Tips & Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Removing the wrong matches and leaving extra small triangles. Correct approach: Keep only closed rhombi; any leftover triangle means a wrong match was kept or removed.
• Mistake: Removing more or fewer than 6 matches. Correct approach: Count your taps — exactly 6 matches should disappear before you press SUBMIT.
• Mistake: Expecting the diamonds to be large or to use the outer boundary. Correct approach: The diamonds are medium-sized rhombi clustered around the centre, not the outer triangle edges.
• Mistake: Tapping SUBMIT with a half-removed figure. Correct approach: Make sure all three rhombi are fully closed (four edges each) before submitting.