Happy New Year! My top ten(ish) puzzles of 2024

Happy New Year to you all! I have no idea what happened to 2024. Actually I have a vague idea that I worked my way through it with not enough breaks for enjoying what I love. I only managed to get to 2 of the MPP's of the year which is a bad sign that I am working a lot of weekends. New Year resolution to work less!

Welcome to my customary end of year post looking back at my puzzling highs of 2024. As always, thinking about it was triggered by Peter Hajek's request for the top 3 acquisitions of the year. Peter wants to know the best arrivals in the collection and I always write about my best puzzles solved which makes it a little harder to come up with a good list. I have had a pretty good year of puzzle purchasing much to the disgust of the current wife, but it has felt like a bad year for me in terms of puzzle solving. Having looked back through my year of posts, there have been some absolutely amazing creations. 

Nowhere near solving!

Smack-n-Moles by Stickman - this has been sitting in my conservatory next to me for over a year now and I picked it up regularly throughout 2024 and got absolutely nowhere. I have made a few discoveries but nothing is useful. It remains in my naughty pile and is not getting put away until done!

The coloured plastic version of the Crazy double circle cube was refought towards the end of 2023 when the black version began to have issues with the inner circles catching on me. I duly scrambled this version and whilst it has worked flawlessly, I don't seem to be able to solve it. I get really close to the end game and then lose it - sigh! Another one I will keep going on.

Vertigo from Dee Dixon - it looks and smells lovely! It remains in my kitchen (much to the disgust, yet again, of Mrs S) and to my eternal shame, I have not even managed to find the first move. The top inner disk spins freely and that is it - Aargh!

Blinded, also by Dee Dixon. Another one in my kitchen and if this continues then I am going to get a Whack! Ouch! very soon.

Box of Celts - this won quite a lot of votes at the last EPP and I was very lucky to manage to get one early in 2024. I haven't even found the first step yet.  OMG! I am so bad at puzzles!

I missed out on Juno's tour de force (the Hippo) but at the beginning of the year I did manage to acquire this gorgeous puzzle, the Dual Meanders Box. There are a lot of moves possible with so many maze plates that can move as well as the centre of the walls. I seem to make progress in two possible directions but always seem to hit a dead end no matter what I try. This has been shelved for a while due to frustration.

The Fibonacci box from Jesse Born. Having collected and solved the Pi box, I had to have the next in that series - it is simply gorgeous and has a very complex mechanism with some serious brass inside. I have managed to make things slide but absolutely nothing seems to lead anywhere and I cannot find any connection to the Fibonacci number series. 

Of course, let us not forget that Shane has been quiescent for a while (note that I did not say quiet because Shane is NEVER quiet!) He produced, in collaboration with the Two Brass Monkeys, the Who Dares Wins lock. I am not very good at locks but this one is kicking my butt - yet another puzzle I haven't even found the first move for. I can see something that I'd like to try to do but I don't have anything to do it with - sigh!   

Finally managed to solve with a good bit of assistance

Orbit by Dee Dixon. This took over a year to solve and was only possible with a decent hint at the last MPP. Maybe there is something about Dee's puzzles? There is a massive challenge to them and I just cannot seem to solve them easily. Very good value for money!

Almost made it

There have been so many great puzzles that I had to relegate a few - this doesn't mean that they aren't good - they still deserve a mention and here's a few almost there puzzles:

Mibinity designed by Michel van Ipenburg and beautifully created by Jack Krijnen is a delightful and unusual manifestation of the N-ary puzzle group. It's a lovely little delight, not too hard and fun to fiddle with and, of course, beautifully made. It has reminded me that Stephan Baumegger has created a whole bunch of new N-ary puzzles that I haven't bought yet due to funding constraints. Sigh!

Every year I buy a whole bunch of disentanglement puzzles from Aaron Wang and most of them bamboozle me for the whole year before I give up. This year, Aaron helped produce some wonderful wire only puzzles which had just the right difficulty level and some wonderful Aha! moments. I have not yet managed the string puzzles but I'm hopeful!

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Finally...On with my top ten(ish) puzzles solved in 2024:

Every top ten needs to start at least at 11 because I cannot count! So here we go.

11) Incredible Packers

Over the last few years I have been delighted by some truly wonderful packing puzzles with something very special about them. It may be the wood or it may be the odd technique needed to solve them. In either case they all share a fantastic delightful Aha! moment. Here's a few that I had to mention:

Persistence of Memory by Alexander Magyarics
Made by Brain Menold

Nested Soma by Dr Volker Latussek with Lucie Pauwels
Made by Pelikan

Also from Mine-san:

Perfect entrance

3L x2

Sukiyaki by Frederic Boucher
Made by Pelikan

10) 234 Puzzle Cube

When Mike Toulouzas designs and makes something you know that it is going to be very special and a perfect challenge. This came out of the blue as a gift at the beginning of 2024 and delighted me with it's sheer beauty as well as a challenge that is just tough enough to make me feel foolish and yet smile at the same time. Thank you Mike!

9) Chained Key

Luke Waier had a really good idea

Lots and lots of people have gushed about this beautifully crafted puzzle this year and, as usual, I was late to the party. I quickly saw why so many people loved it - there are lots of steps and each one needs some careful logic and thought©. I have had to put it further down the list because one part of mine had a step that had been overtightened and I could not progress until I received reassurance at the MPP and then had to use an external tool to loosen that bit before continuing.

8) Minima Puzzles - so so many of them!

Frederic Boucher had an idea - he created a 2x2x3 box with holes in various places and odd pieces to fit inside. Sometimes it needs odd rotations, and sometimes there need to be odd holes to allow these rotations. It is soooo good that he made quite a lot of them. I haven't gotten around to solving them all yet but I am working my way through them. 

Minima Tower by Frederic

Recently Minima Smiley

Minima Domino by Frederic

Minima Texas

Minima Ludique

Minima Twig

I think the world thinks it was a good idea based on great reviews from others and the fact that so many other people jumped on this bandwagon to produce their own variants.

The great Laszlo Molnar designed some

Lucie Pauwels couldn't resist it

Even Dr Latussek added something special

7) Vertigo Puzzlebox

Yes, I actually solved a Vertigo puzzle (just not one from Dee Dixon

This is the second of the puzzle boxes made from Lego that I have from Quizbrix. Every time I see a Lego box, I am sceptical but every time I am amazed at the incredible complexity and fun mechanisms that can be fitted into an amazingly small volume. I adored this one and it is still available here.

6) Oleg's Wardrobe

Oleg's Wardrobe by Dee Dixon

I have this here because it is a fabulous puzzle and beautifully made by Dee Dixon. The mechanism was incredible and really fun to solve. It isn't higher up the list because I just cannot seem to reset it at all. I will need to take it to an MPP next time and see if anyone can do it for me!

Whilst I am thinking about Dee's creations, I have to include the Uplift puzzle here. I received it in 2023 and spent months and months spinning the damn thing around. I then finally made progress this year and solved it with a wonderful Aha! moment and a silly grin at the end!

Uplift

5) Twister Box

When Pelikan produce a box it's a "must have"

Jakub and Jaroslav appear more than once in my top ten(ish) of 2024 because they produce some gorgeous puzzles and work with some of the best designers in the world! However, when they produce one of their own designs, everyone should sit up and take notice. Also when they produce a box, it will be something special. Their craftsmanship is second to none and their ideas are amazing! This box made me laugh out loud! I solved it by accident as most people will but the understanding of the mechanism is the fun part - then you can do it easily every single time! Brilliant!

4) Free Me 9

Joe produces an amazing challenge

When Joe Turner sends out an email about yet another of his brilliant Free Me puzzles, the puzzling world really pays attention! I said yes as soon as the email arrived and was not disappointed. The aim wasn't just to free one coin but 3 with a whole series of mechanisms. It really took me some time and needed a little hint.

Three coins this time!

3) Picolock

Boaz Feldman does it yet again!

This amazing puzzle lock by Boaz Feldman won a huge number of accolades at last year's EPP. I finally stopped buying wood for long enough to pick one up and loved every moment of the solve. It's classic Boaz with beautifully hidden mechanisms that are a delight to find.

2) Matchbox playground

The Matchbox Playground by Pelikan and Peter Gal

I adore a puzzle set but I seldom actually attempt more than a few challenges from them. This wonderful set is a fabulous collection of matchbox challenges stunningly made by Pelikan comprising the exhaustive analysis by Peter Gal. I keep returning to it. Even the box looks like a matchbox. Amongst all of the beautiful puzzles that I received in 2024, this is probably the most beautiful item on my shelves - it is simply stunning.

So many pieces - it's a challenge to put them in the box

The simplest challenge

1) Brass Monkey Sixential Discovery puzzle

You knew it had to be this one!

This is an absolute masterpiece of puzzle design and manufacture by Big Steve and Ali. It's a fitting end to the Brass Monkey series. I doubt it can ever be beaten - it might be the best puzzle ever made! There are so many beautifully made mechanisms that lead to one Aha! moment after another. I wish I could solve it all over again. I hope the guys are feeling the pressure because I want another tour de force like this again.

Solved after so many steps!

All six Brass Monkeys

Do you agree with my top 10? If you have any different thoughts then please comment below or even use my Contact page to tell me how wrong I am. I look forward to your thoughts. 

Happy New Year to you all!

I really hope that you all have a fabulous year in 2025 with good health, success and plenty of wonderful puzzling. I look forward to entertaining and maybe helping many of you in this year.