self Maths Puzzle

Here is an odd little puzzle-game from the East:

One of the Chinese girls writes sixteen letters on a slate in four rows, as shown, and after marking a straight dash, which connects A to B, passes the slate to her opponent, who connects E with A.

If the first player should now connect E with F the other player would connect B with F and score "one box", and have the right to play again.

But they have played so well that neither one has yet scored a box, although each has played six times, but the game is reaching a critical point where one of them must win, for there are no draws (for there are nine boxes altogether in this play) as in other games.

The little maiden sitting down has to play now, and if she connects M and N her opponent would score four boxes in one run, and then having the right to one more play would connect H and L, which would win all the rest.

What play would you now advise, and how many boxes will it win against the best possible play of the second player?

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self Other Question
In the Battle of Hastings that occurred on October 14, 1066 Harold's forces formed 13 similar squares with exactly same number of soldiers in each square.

When Harold himself joined the fray and was added to the number of his soldiers in those thirteen squares a single huge square could be arranged. How many men there must have been in Harold's force? Aesop tells how a father and son failing to ride their donkey in a way to please the public, finally decided to carry the beast.
They had not gone far, however, when they met the village schoolmaster, who explained that as the man was stronger than the boy, and the donkey weighed 220lbs., they should adjust the position of the weight so that the man should carry 125 pounds and the boy but 95.

Where should the weight be hung if the distance from shoulder to shoulder was four feet?