# 6+8=71 move two matches

How can I make this equation true by moving two matches?

It's in a game "Smart Puzzles" - it's called Matches, and there are about 13 different games in it.

• Move two matches to do what? To make the equation true? – Rand al'Thor Sep 15 '19 at 16:35
• Just to be clear - can matches be rotated or can they only be lifted and placed? – Adam Sep 15 '19 at 16:45
• Yes the rotate when you put them where you want them – Ryan Bush Sep 15 '19 at 17:09
• I can't make it a times but I can make it a subtraction – Ryan Bush Sep 15 '19 at 17:10
• Just a quick note that you should generally only post a puzzle that is of your creation. – MobileGlick Sep 16 '19 at 19:53

Change the six to a nine, and the seven and one change places by moving the top match along : $$9+8=17$$.

Or:

Make the eight into a nine, and put the match into the six to make an eight. Same trick with $$17$$ to get $$8+9=17$$.

• Alternatively, move the top two sticks of the seven and flip upside down – TheSimpliFire Sep 15 '19 at 19:19

Well you could easily

Remove the horizontal match from the $$+$$ then place it between $$7$$ and $$1$$. Now replace the horizontal match with the one in the middle of the $$8$$ to get $$6+0=7-1$$.

EDIT: If removing the bottom match in the $$+$$ isn't considered "one move" then you can just as easily move the top one and rotate the two moved matches to satisfy $$6+0=7-1$$

If there is some leniency for spacing you could also

Move the vertical $$+$$ match and horizontal $$7$$ match to make $$6-8=-1-1$$

• Massive nit pick, but the horizontal match in the plus is underneath, so technically this would involve moving three matches! – JMP Sep 15 '19 at 17:31
• @JMP clarification from OP - "Yes the rotate when you put them where you want them" so I could remove the top one instead and still replace it from the $8$ – Adam Sep 15 '19 at 17:32

Cheating, I know, but:

$$6 - 8 \ne 17$$

or

$$6 - 8 \ne 71$$

if you're lazy and only want to move one match.

• I think there's generally an unspoken rule in these kind of puzzles that you can't mess with the equals sign... – Darrel Hoffman Sep 16 '19 at 18:57
• Hence "Cheating" @DarrelHoffman. *8') – Mark Booth Sep 17 '19 at 12:16

Not sure if this counts :)

Move one match diagonally across the equals to make it not equals, then move any other match so that the equation is still not equal.

Another solution:

Move the top horizontal match of the 6 and the top horizontal match of the 7 to the 1 to make the latter into a 4.

$$6 + 2 = 7 + 1$$ (two matches from $$8$$ to make a plus between $$7$$ and $$1$$)

The 6 become 9 (move bottom left to top right) and then remove the top match from the seven and put it on top of the 1. So the equation become 9+8 = 17