Friday, May 28, 2021

Rediscovering Genius AKA Tribulation/Trio/TriMatics/Triple - A Math game

Back in 1990s we bought a Mathematical game called Genius. It is still one of my favourite games. Unfortunately, I never found it anywhere to buy it again. 
The same game seems to have been launched by different brands under different names - Genius, Tribulation, Trio, TriMatics, Triple etc. 
Recently I found a video of the same game with a different name. In the video they had mentioned how it is not available anymore but how one can make it at home. 

In last week, we made it at home. I am sharing the details of how we created the games and how to play those. 


Material required to create a game box


  • Numbers and operators printed on paper
  • Thick papers (I used an old calendar)
  • Cardboard box
  • Adhesive
  • Cloth
  • Ruler
  • Cutter
  • Sketch pen
Steps to build
  1. Take prints of the sheets having numbers and operators. I used color prints for big tiles and black and white prints for small tiles. I created 2 sets out of the given images.
  2. Stick the prints to thick paper using an adhesive to make them bit stronger. Make sure to use optimum adhesive else prints become moist and can get easily torn. Use cloth to stick it well and remove any excess adhesive. Let them dry well.
  3. Now stick the thicker prints to cardboard box sheet to make them more usable. Let them dry well. 
  4. Keep the box sheet on a hard base which makes cutting more easier and better. Cut the tiles using cutter. 
  5. In the given printable number sheets, 6s and 9s look the same. Use sketch pen to distinguish them by say marking a dot on right bottom corner.

What's included in the box


  • 49 big tiles having 1 to 9 numbers 
    • Number tiles 1,4,9,6,7 - 5 pieces each
    • Number tiles  2,3,5,8 - 6 pieces each
  • Operator tiles ÷,×,+,-,<,>,= and not= - 2 pieces each
  • Big blank tiles - 7 pieces
  • Small tiles having 1 to 100 numbers - 1 piece each
  • Small blank tiles - 16 pieces

Total 188 pieces


How to play Genius

  1. Take the 49 big tiles with numbers and small tiles with 1-50 numbers.
  2. Mix the big tiles and randomly place them in 7*7 square to create a custom board for the game.
  3. Take the 50 small tiles and turn them face down.
  4. To start a round, one player chooses a small tile and reveals a 1 or 2 digit number. Game is played until all 50 numbers are revealed. 
  5. Now all players should find three adjacent number tiles horizontally, vertically or diagonally which gives a value to match the revealed small tile. 
  6. To get an answer the Math must be done in the following order : number 1 ÷/× number 2 +/- number 3.
  7. For example, as shown in the image, if the drawn number is 17, you might find 6,2,5 in order to create 6×2+5= 17.
  8. There could be multiple valid combinations to get the same answer, as shown in the image.
  9. For the Math beginners, it could be made simpler by allowing to use the 3 numbers in any sequence. 
  10. For example, as shown in the image, if the drawn number is 17, you might find 5,2,3 in order. One can decide to use number 1 ÷/× number 3 +/- number 2. So in this case 5×3+2= 17.
  11. The first person to point out a valid combination from the board wins the revealed tile. 
  12. If all players agree that a combination can not be found for a revealed number, the small tile is removed from the game for that particular board. If two or more players point out a valid combination simultaneously, the small tile is also removed from the game.
  13. The player who wins most number of the small tiles wins the game.

Who can play
  • Anyone knowing tables from 2 to 9
  • Any number of players

Benefits of the game

  • Concentration increases
  • Memory is used to use same numbers to get different answers
  • Speed of calculation increases

Other games possible using my box

We added few operators and more numbers in addition to the 49 big tiles and 50 small tiles. These can be used to play other Math games. I am hoping to be able to use those to help learn the numbers and basic equations depending on the age of the players.

For example, 

  1. A player will choose one small square to reveal a number and another player will have to choose x numbers from big squares (1-9) and y operators as defined at the start of the game to get the answer matching the revealed number. Age 8+ 
  2. Ask to put certain randomly chosen tiles in numerical sequence. Age 5+ 
  3. Give any 2 numbers and ask to use greater than, less than, equal to, not equal to etc operators. Age 5+
  4. Count all the tiles having x number or symbol. Age 4+ 
  5. Find a number / symbols from number of tiles revealed in front. Age 2+

2 comments:

  1. Nice game... If it helps with the most scary subject for some then cudos..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awesome...thanks for sharing such a nice game😍👍

    ReplyDelete