Season 241

Devised in 1961 by the architect of the “Game of Life,” this one-player mathematical puzzle is played on an infinite grid halved by a horizontal line.
While the leaping mechanics mimic standard checkers, its creator famously used the golden ratio to prove that advancing a piece to the fifth row is strictly impossible. What is the militaristic name of this puzzle?

Which hospital role, often voluntary, involves holding and soothing premature or medically fragile infants to promote their development and reduce stress?
Common in neonatal intensive care units, the position is informally named for the comforting act it provides.

Originating in Scotland in the 16th century, this sport developed a vocabulary that includes sheet, tee line, hog line, hack, hammer, and peel.
What is the name of the sport?

Arrange the following countries in Asia by land area, starting with the largest:
1 Pakistan
2 Iran
3 China
4 Saudi Arabia
5 India.

On a clear day in 2003, an iconic vocalist filed a lawsuit to suppress aerial photographs of her Malibu estate, unintentionally drawing massive public attention to the very images she wanted hidden.
What eponymous term now describes this phenomenon, where efforts to censor information only ensure its evergreen visibility?

Which distinctive four-beat gait, unique to Icelandic horses, allows for a smooth ride without the bounce of a trot?
Often demonstrated by riders holding a full drink while moving at speed, it is a preserved genetic trait that defines the breed's equestrian heritage.

Which Los Angeles band, comprised entirely of Armenian-American musicians, redefined alternative metal by fusing frantic tempo changes with anti-war activism?
Their breakthrough album Toxicity famously reached number one on the Billboard charts the exact week of September 11, 2001, and they later won a Grammy for a hit that repurposed the party acronym 'B.Y.O.B.' to ask why presidents don't fight their own wars.

The following events all took place in the same century. Which century?
Joan of Arc is burned for heresy in Rouen.
The Houses of Lancaster and York clash in the Wars of the Roses.
The fall of Granada ends eight centuries of Islamic rule in Spain.
The Treaty of Tordesillas divides the New World, and
Guru Nanak is born to found the Sikh faith.

Which wordless performance group, founded in Brighton in 1991, is known for using brooms, trash cans, and everyday objects to create explosive rhythms through movement and percussion?
Blending choreography and street theatre, the show has toured globally under a one-syllable name.

Born in 1975, this British actress first gained attention as a heavenly creature in 1994. In 1999 she indulged in holy smoke, had some romance and cigarettes in 2005 before she went on the holiday of her life in LA in 2006.
Who is she?

Which 1945 meeting brought together Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin in Crimea to negotiate the postwar structure of Europe, including plans for the United Nations and the division of Germany?
Held as Allied victory in Europe neared, it became one of the most consequential conferences of World War II.

In naval tradition, which term originally described the principal vessel of a fleet, distinguished by the presence of its highest-ranking officer?
Today, the same word is used metaphorically for a company’s premier product.

What is the name of the annual series of elite track and field meetings that launched on the global stage in 2010?
Replacing the former Euro-centric “Golden League,” the circuit adopted a new title reflecting an even higher tier of prestige.

Written for the 1973 Western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, this song's brief lyrics feature a dying narrator asking to discard his badge and put his guns in the ground.
Originally a melancholic acoustic track by Bob Dylan, which song was later transformed into a global stadium anthem by Guns N' Roses?