An annual knave (someone who alternates between truth and lie) race was held in Knavesville. There was one judge, who was either a knight or a liar, and all of the racers were knaves. After the race a news team asked the top five finishers and the judge who won. These were their answers:

Alex - I won.
Bert - Alex won.
Coby - Dave won.
Dave - I came 3rd.
Ed - I won.
Judge - Bert won.

Confused, they asked them all again, but their names all got lost, so the order is muddled up.

Runner a - Dave won.
Runner b - I won.
Runner c - I didn't win.
Runner d - I came 4th.
Runner e - Bert won.
Judge - Coby won.

Can you work out who won? (Assuming each individual's comments were similar, i.e. both of their comments would suggest that a certain person won, or their own position).

(In reply to re: Is it this simple or am I misinterpreting the rules? by Lewis)

Actually it did somewhat, as I made up a grid and started Xing out bad combinations. Only after I started filling in the implications of the empty (non-xed) squares, which I started with Coby, did I realize this pair was the key.

Posted by Charlie on 2003-08-02 09:21:51