ACE, TWO, THREE...
Lots of people sent in correct solutions to this card problem. Well done to Richard who came up with the following method:
To represent the unknown cards write thirteen places on the page where the values will go:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Now count down three places for A-C-E and write 'A' for Ace in the third place, because this is where Charlie showed the Ace to be.
_ _ A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Keep counting T-W-O (three places) for 2, T-H-R-E-E (five places)
_ _ A _ _ 2 _ _ _ _ 3 _ _
Now to count four places for F-O-U-R we need to go back to the beginning when we reach the end, this is because Charlie puts the cards he counts past on the bottom of the pack.
_ 4 A _ _ 2 _ _ _ _ 3 _ _
And for counting out F-I-V-E, skip the places already occupied by card values; this is because Charlie removes the cards when he finds them, they're not counted again.
_ 4 A _ _ 2 _ 5 _ _ 3 _ _
If you keep counting out the names of the cards you eventually get to the answer:
Q 4 A 8 K 2 7 5 10 J 3 6 9
Fantastic! Lots of others found the correct answer with similar methods, and some people used letters to represent the missing card values - this is a great way to do it too.
Patrick and H&H also submitted solutions for saying the card names in French and German. Brilliant. Can you see why this trick will work in any language provided you order the cards correctly? Try to find the right order for a language of your choice!