Ze Next Ones From Pelikan Are Just As Much Fun

Diasafe by Lucie Pauwels

Last week I reviewed the amazing Minima-Ze series about to be released by Pelikan and saved the others for this week (yes, I didn't have time or ability to solve them all in a single week). I managed to get to the remaining wonderful puzzles this week and even solved some of them.

Starting with the rather unusual looking Diasafe by Lucie Pauwels, I couldn't work out whether it was a maze puzzle or a packing puzzle and eventually settled on the latter. We have a rather attractive set of Wenge pieces each of which has a rather colourful jewel on the top and a box made of Pink Oak which has an S-shaped path in the top surface. Clearly the aim is to fit the pieces in one layer inside the box via the 3 voxel opening in one side. The interior of the box forms a 7x7 square and the jewels are expected to protrude into the path. 

I started by just forming squares with the pieces and quickly realised that my usual approach with packing puzzles of starting outside the box was not going to work. I found rather a lot of square assemblies very quickly and a quick play with Burrtools revealed that there are 2004 possible squares. Time to make squares in the box using the pathway in the top and you will quickly realise that there is quite a lot of thought going to be required. I started randomly and found that it is possible to place many of the pieces somewhere inside quite easily but the larger ones are either very rapidly blocked from moving along the path and two of the shapes cannot physically be placed with out rotating them at some point whilst in the box. This forces the perplexed puzzler to think about the order of placement. These pieces that need rotation need space to do so. Maybe they need to be placed early before the pathways gets too blocked up?

I got stuck after 2 days of trying and was forced to go to BT to at least look at possible final square assemblies which ended having the jewels protruding into the pathway. Interestingly, there are only 3 possible ways to create a square with the jewels still in the S-shaped track. Of these 3 assemblies, just one can be physically completed. It is very clever and a fun puzzle to think about. This is perfect for advanced puzzlers and beginners alike.

Shrine

Shrine by Lucie Pauwels

Shrine shows off the breadth of Lucie's skills. Not only does she design amazing packing puzzles but she also can design very clever interlocking puzzles. The Shrine has been made from a vibrantly gorgeous Bubinga and an Acacia block which needs to be held securely inside the assembly. There are 6 pieces which are 1x3x7 voxels in size and each has a 1x3 voxel slot in it. They all have ½x1 voxel protuberances and cutouts at various points in them. Counting them reveals that there are just enough to have all holes filled. The end result shape is not terribly obvious and I thought that this might be a significant difficulty in the solution of the puzzle but in reality this is a really clever sequential assembly challenge. Finding which pieces cane interlock with each other shows that there are not many possible assemblies to try and it is just a matter of thought© to assemble one piece into another and progressively build up a pleasing shape. After a few have been put together the addition of a 4th or 5th (depending on which you start with) becomes impossible. Having met an impossible to finish position several times, it occurred to me that I might need to make two assemblies that fit together rather than each one after another. Once I had realised this, then the assembly is a fun exploration of which pieces fit together in which order. Another beauty by Pelikan which is suitable for all puzzlers.

I have put the final assembly behind a spoiler button:

This doesn't really tell you how to assemble it

Thyor

Thyor by Dr Volker Latussek

This rather stunning creation made from Wenge, Padauk and Maple by Dr Latussek is called Thyor. Was this something to do with the God of thunder? I was rather mystified at the name until I received an explanatory email from him with an explanation. This puzzle is a tribute to one of the original German puzzle manufacturers: THYOR is short for "Thirty Years Of Rombol". Volker wrote this:

"The Kröger family runs a small game publishing company in Paderborn, Germany. My friend Bernhard - whom I still addressed as Mr. Schweitzer back then - recommended my SOMA PACK for publication there. It was my first mechanical puzzle to go into series production at Rombol.

Recently, after the relaunch of rombol.de, I read that the Kröger family had already begun publishing designer puzzles in small series as early as 1996. With the company’s 30th anniversary this year and the handover to the next generation in the family, I also wanted to personally express my gratitude for the great collaboration. Since the Kröger family now also distributes Pelikan puzzles here in Germany, I asked Pelikan to publish my puzzle THYOR: Th-irty Y-ears O-f R-ombol.

For THYOR, I experimented with 1.5x1x1.5 instead of the usual 1x1x1 voxel. As always, even changing just one parameter opens a whole new world. In THYOR, I break down a 1.5x1x52.5 rod into 18 sections for the 6 pieces that need to be packed into the box. I’m very confident that the solution will be unique even after you’ve played THYOR; at least, some of my fellow metagrobologists have confirmed this."

Volker always defines a specific setup position for the transport of his puzzles and this alone can be a huge challenge. I removed just one piece for the initial photo and stopped there. The other pieces did not seem to want to come out terribly easily. I backed off for a while as I did not want lots of pieces lying around with me unable to put them back into the box again. 

When I did come to trying to solve this one, I was not disappointed! I managed to remove 3 of the 6 pieces without too much trouble but the remaining 3 just would not come out of the box. The lip of the box stopped them from just dropping out and it became clear that rotations were going to be needed just to get access to the pieces. I'm slightly ashamed to admit that it took me a good 30 minutes just to get access to the pieces and begin trying the full assembly.

This challenge is very different to most of Volker's previous puzzles. It does not require rotations to achieve the main aim (the rotations are only needed to get the pieces out). This one can be solved by Burrtools and creating the BT file after you have solved it will add to your fun. It's not an easy one to create (at least for me) - at one point it was going to take 860 millennia to find the solution! Maybe that will give you an idea of how tough this challenge is?

The Secret Of Two Friends

The Secret of Two Friends by Pelikan

This stunning Puzzlebox is a new design by the Pelikan team. It has been beautifully made from a rather dark oak and a metal lock, keys, hinges and decorations. The aim is to open the chest and see what is rattling around inside. 

The lock can be opened using one of the keys and the chest will still not open. Something odd is going on inside. There is no movement where you think it should be. Time to investigate further and something interesting shows up quite quickly. There is then a need to use what you have in creative ways. I did have to let the Pelikan team know that one piece is too fragile and they have assured me that they are aware and will be fixing that.

I have only found the first small part of the mechanism and have failed so far to complete the task. I have tried using all the pieces I have in ever more creative ways but cannot seem to unlock the chest. I do know how it should open but I seem to be missing a step in the solution. This is definitely a lovely puzzle for anyone's collection and as a rare Pelikan design it is worth getting hold of.

Zese Are Not For Ze Faint-Hearted

Minima-Ze Series by Frederic Boucher
Produced by Pelikan

Damn! I never thought I would say it, but I wish we hadn't had a sunny day yesterday! The UK has basically had rain almost every day for the whole year so far and it has been thoroughly miserable. But, you all know that us Brits love to discuss and complain about the weather. The garden has been growing wild due to all the rain and the rapid approach of spring. So yesterday, when the forecast was good, I was ousted from the house by "she who frightens even the Gods" and given instructions to tidy up the garden. After 6 hours, I was allowed back in the house and knew that pain was coming. I was not expecting it to be mental as well as physical pain. This morning I awoke with pain - everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. My fingers hurt, my thighs hurt, my shoulders hurt. I hate gardening! The garden looks great but I am in too much pain tp appreciate it! Little did I know that I would add brain pain would be rapidly added to the collection of aches.

I received a nice big box of puzzles from Jakub, Jaroslav and team on Monday and after unpacking, I had to put them away for a few days due to work. The presence of ball bearings bouncing around in an operating theatre is not a good idea so I daren't take them to work. I finally got to investigate on Friday and unfortunately wasn't allowed to play yesterday due to fear of reprisals if I didn't get into the garden. As a result today I have started work on the Minima-Ze series by Frederic Boucher.

These are an interesting variant of his Minima puzzles with a totally different aim.These are not packing puzzles...they should be classified as either Maze puzzles or sequential movement puzzles. The aim is to either remove the/one of the ball bearings that is trapped inside the usual 2x2x3 box or, in the case of Minima-Ze Rally, to run the ball bearing through the maze from entry in one side and and exit on the other.

These diminutive puzzles are perfectly pocket sized and can be carried about without worrying about losing a ball bearing. However once you have started you probably need to be careful because loss is a distinct possibility.

Minima-Ze 1

Minima-Ze (1)

Number one in the series has been made using Leopardwood for the box and Acacia for the pieces. A blue marble is visible in the hole in the top. There is another smaller white marble just visible to the right of it. The aim is to manipulate the pieces to allow the removal of the white ball bearing via the exit hole at the front. Should be easy? Hmm! maybe for you it might be but I struggled. There are two square holes to facilitate movement of the wooden blocks (none of which can be removed) and there is a slot in base which serves no there purpose other than too allow the puzzler to examine the shape of the pieces that are being slid around. After a few minutes of fiddling a couple of oddities can be discerned. It is obviously going to be key to work out what those "oddities" are there for. 

Being a bear of very little brains who was hurting all over, my thought capacity was at a rather low ebb. I am embarrassed to say that it took me well over an hour to realise what was required and actually carry out the required moves. A ball fell out much to the alarming interest of a cat. I retrieved it as quickly as I could before someone swallowed it.

I'm sure it shouldn't have taken me over an hour!

Returning it to the start was another challenge. I was able to place the balls back inside but the once I thought I had them back inside, I either couldn't slide the wooden blocks back inside or the balls were in the wrong order. Another 10 minutes required to get the dexterity to do what was needed. Lovely clever challenge and a nice warm-up for the others in the series.

Minima-Ze 2

Minima-Ze 2

This one is made by Pelikan using Mahogany for the box and Garapa for the blocks. Inside, there is a single ball bearing visible through a hole in the base. The aim here is to manipulate the pieces and navigate that ball bearing through the maze and out through one of the holes in the front. It's not clear at first how this is going to work nor which hole is the exit.

Rocking it back and forth reveals that internal pieces slide around and at one point one of the pieces covering a hole pokes out and has a drilled hole in it. Aha! This would imply that there is a moving path inside the pieces trapped inside and the aim is to work out where the holes are, how they can be manipulated into a pathway and then how to get the ball bearing through it. 

Simple? Ha! Many years ago, I spent months working through the variable mazes inside the Revomaze puzzles and it took me months and months to solve them. I hate to say it but this may happen to me again. So far I have worked out how some parts move but it's very difficult to understand what's happening inside as there is minimal visibility. I have spent a good ½ hour with the ball bearing lost inside somewhere with no idea where it went and absolutely no idea how to return back to the beginning. Shaking it about is no use here! Somehow I have got it back to the start with little idea how. This is a frightening little puzzle and will require a lot of thought in a silent room. I think listening as you go is going to be quite important here.

Minima-Ze 3

Minima-Ze 3

Number 3 in the series has a Limba box and Wenge pieces. It looks rather complex by the presence of a full circumferential belt of holes which are there to help you control the pieces by squeezing fingertips through to prevent parts from moving when you don't want them to. Again, the aim is to remove the silver ball bearing from the puzzle (it is visible through a very small hole in the back wall of the box). 

The clue to the presence of a drilled pathway comes when you manipulate the internal pieces to find that the single piece covering the square hole pokes out with a cavity in it, obviously to deliver the ball bearing to you. There is no other part of the internal maze visible inside and you are expected to build an internal visualisation of the maze by listening to the pieces move and using gravity to control the movement of pieces and ball whilst using your fingers to control which blocks can move.

For 2 hours today I have been playing with this and the ball was lost inside. I had no idea where it was and could not return it back to the beginning. Panic began to set in. Time to put it down and think©. That didn't work for me so I fiddled with it blindly and returned it to the beginning. After the palpitations had settled, I tried again and suddenly the ball was out. 

Solved it - not sure how!

Having taken the photo of it, I now have to return it to the beginning and I am not entirely sure how to go about it. I think I will need to draw a picture of the shapes and where I think the holes/paths might be. 

These are beautiful puzzles and terrific challenges. they are NOT for the faint-hearted! These will keep you challenged for quite some time, require a lot of thought and a very good 3D visuospatial ability to understand and solve.

Minima-Ze Rally

Pelikan version

Nothing yet designs version

I have not yet had time to play with this one. It was also available from Tye Stahly's Nothing Yet Designs store (almost everything seems to be available from him) and maybe if you badger him, it might be available again. I haven't gotten around to it yet but my backlog is out of control just now. I need a long holiday with no gardening to do or even to retire to catch up.

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What else will be available at the next update? I should have reviews ready for next week for you.

The secret of two friends - a design by the Pelikan team - beautifully made from Oak (here) or "sub-fossil" oak

Shrine by Lucie Pauwels - made from Bubinga and Acacia

Diasafe by Lucie Pauwels made from Wenge and Pink Oak

Thyor by Dr Volker Latussekmade from Padua, Maple and Wenge

She Solved It And Now I Have A Dilemma...

This was how your intrepid puzzler and his feline overlord left it last week

At the end of last week's blog, myself and Mazikeen had managed to randomly move everything we could find in every possible position we could think of and luckily, due to the extreme flexibility of the cat, we were able to remove two panels from the Gravity cube by Alex Owens. After this we were both rather badly stuck. Interestingly, i was unable to put the panels that I had removed back on to the cube - I/we literally had managed this by chance with minimal understanding of what we had achieved. My usual to and fro approach really wasn't working here as I achieved things without knowing what I had done. Was I enjoying the puzzle? I don't know. It was interesting and obviously very clever but the lack of understanding was decreasing my enjoyment. Also, the inability to progress any further at all despite a good few hours of play was making the puzzle lose its shine.

After writing things up last week, I was determined to continue and the cat and I continued to swear and fiddle. Actually, I did all the swearing and she seemed to sleep a lot. I took it to work and carried on playing (no, the cat did not accompany me to work - for some reason, surgeons aren't too enamoured with the idea of a cat wandering around the operating theatre!) I was forced to work on it alone. Somehow I made more progress. I have no idea how! Are you getting a theme here? After a further couple of days another 2 panels had been removed and yet again, I could not put them back. Nothing for it other than to try to move onward. With the two panels left, I found a few more possible moves and thought I was making progress. After another 3 days of doing the same thing back and forth multiple times, I was able to do and undo those things consistently and almost understood what I was doing but could go no further. Now what?

After last week's blog post, Goetz contacted me to offer help if I needed it. He had apparently received a copy of this puzzle quite a long time ago and had solved and reassembled it many times. It had been his EPP recommendation as top mass produced puzzle for 2025. I admitted that I had progressed to 2 remaining panels and Goetz offered a hint which included finding and using an L-shaped piece from inside. I didn't have an L-shaped piece and could not make the move that he had used to get it. Apparently Alex had improved the design since Goetz received his version. OMG! Was I doomed to be stuck at this point. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing we established that I had everything that I needed and I was encouraged to do something that I had toyed with trying for a while but had been too frightened that I would lose the only tool I had. There are lots of horror stories about puzzlers inserting things into holes and not being able to remove them! 😱

I worked with Mazikeen to screw our courage to the sticking point and used the tool. There was a click and suddenly a whole new direction of panel movement was possible. A 5th panel came off - hooray. we were ecstatic. One last panel to go and I now had a new tool that had been released by that panel. The next steps were actually fun - it was almost obvious what I had to do and after another 5 minutes we had the inner cube released to explore:

She looks delighted!

This inner cube seems to have a single sliding lid but it is locked in place. With the tools I had, there was only so much to try and there was a delightful Aha! moment and the lid was open revealing yet another cube inside. Was this it? Mazikken thought there would be more:

A new cube? Hooray!

Still more to be done...

That innermost cube did not seem to be the final step and I was encouraged to play further - luckily the final mechanism was not too troublesome - even fun! Alex has put a rather pretty fidget toy inside for you to play with when you eventually get in. I didn't dare leave the cat to play with that or it might have ended up inside the cat.

All rings can spin

Can I eat it?

I was so delighted to have solved it eventually but now petrified. Almost all of the mechanisms were navigated without really knowing what I was doing and now I am thinking that there is no way I will be able to reassemble this incredibly complex puzzle. There are quite a lot of pieces here (hidden behind a spoiler button:

OMG! Now what?

I am hoping that now that I can see what I am doing, I will be able to backtrack my way through the assembly and then see whether I understand it enough to redo the whole thing without too many random movements in the process.

So, the title of the blog post mentions a dilemma... I need to think about whether this is a candidate for my top ten(ish) of 2026. Whilst this is an incredibly ingenious design and the manufacture is unbelievably good, I am currently left feeling that I solved it with a whole lot of random moves and no understanding at all apart form the final moves. I also have the worry that it will be left in pieces forever more. Over the years, quite a few of my puzzles have been solved by random moves and that has not detracted from them as I eventually did understand the pathway through the puzzle solution. I think that if I manage to reassemble it and that process helps me with a proper understanding of the mechanisms involved then not only will it be in my top ten, then it may head towards the top! I'll keep you all informed.

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Overdrive assembled

Thank you to George who recognised the Stewart Coffin puzzle as Overdrive in my recent post about what I brought back from the MPP. I had received this last year from Steve and was aware that it was a six piece coordinate motion puzzle. I had been trying for many hours to get it together in the correct assembly and had given up. George mentioned that there is an easier assembly which involves a minor CoMo move of 3 pieces to create 2 halves which slide together. It was with much relief that I assembled the above (less than attractive) assembly and could put it away finally. Thanks George!

I Keep Doing This To Myself

Mazikeen might be more likely to open it than me!

I keep buying complex puzzles. I can't resist them. Especially when they are recommended by another puzzle friend. I had to wait a while for the Gravity box by Alex Owens to come back into stock but as soon as it did, I quickly hit buy and started playing when it arrived. 

It is beautifully made and turning it over in your hands reveals the enticing sounds of all sorts of things moving around inside. I have been working on several SD puzzles at the same time (Twins box, I need my lunch, Emerald vault and Rune lock) recently. Unfortunately, I bought all these complex puzzles and can't seem to get anywhere with any of them! Partly I seem to be working too many days every week but also because I am rubbish at puzzles. 

The gravity box accompanied me to work for a couple of weeks in the hope that I might get somewhere with it. The instructions don't really give much of a clue. I found the first move rather promptly because it's fairly obvious but after that I couldn't seem to find even a second move. OMG - this was going to make me very sad. The panels of the box look like they should slide but which direction? and which ones? I turned the damn thing over and over and over and pushed, pulled, poked and shook all the panels - NADA!

I tried it in every position and still nada. Then I did it all over again and suddenly it moved. I have no idea why it moved this time. Having moved a panel, I was able to try other panels. Sometimes they moved and sometimes they wouldn't. I put it all back to the beginning because I prefer my to and fro approach to give me a memory of a pathway. But I got stuck again with a closed puzzle. More fiddling about for an embarrassingly long time and I eventually got it moving again - still no idea why. Progress was made over a good few days and a panel came off revealing an inner cube and hints of "stuff" inside. Nothing possible for another day or so apart from undoing what I had done with the panel still off. Lots more turning it over and over whilst trying to slide bits. Nothing worked until suddenly it did. No idea why! Oddly, I couldn't undo what I had done until suddenly I could but then not be able to redo it. I was beginning to worry that if I was ever to solve this I wouldn't stand a hope in hell's chance of putting it all back together! At some point I had been forced to abandon the to and from approach! I was hopelessly lost despite having achieved very little.

Several more days of play without a clue what I was doing when I was able to slide something new and then move other panels. At least I think it was other panels but I couldn't keep track of what I had done. Yesterday, after an operating list of hip and knee replacements, I was feeling lucky. Try again. Have some feline help and anything is possible. Stuff moved again and I had a second panel removed and the logo fell off. I'm on a roll:

This is promising!
Everything in the start position with the two panels removed

Today I have continued working on it. I have no idea how I got to this point and I certainly can't undo it. I have a few things that move (apart from when they don't) and I have managed to slide all the moved panels that remain in place back to their start positions. Nothing new has opened up. I haven't found any of the promised tools yet and I struggle to go back to the position I had when the second panel was removed. I can get there sometimes but not every time. I have gone back and forth many many times and failed to find anything new. I have a few ideas for possible moves I'd like to try but they are all blocked.

This is incredibly frustrating! So many random moves that I cannot keep track of. The complexity of the design is incredible but I have no idea what I am doing. At this moment in time, the cat has just as much chance of opening this as I do! 

A Jigsaw But Not A Jigsaw

Jigsaw Box by No Problem Puzzles

Kumiki Crane

It has been a busy week at PuzzleMad HQ. Despite the catastrophic loss of the orthopaedic cement supply to the National health service, I had a very full week of operating and then lots of meetings to attend. This was then followed yesterday by an MPP (I am sure that Allard will write this up soon) and today by a fun episode of DIY. Someone has decreed that the compact fluorescent tubes used in my under cabinet lights in the kitchen are no longer available in all the sizes I need (one had blown last weekend). Mrs S decided that it was necessary for me to replace the light fittings completely so that she didn't chop any fingers off whilst cooking. Today, I have failed to electrocute myself, which is a bonus, but spent a good 3 hours with LED fittings, wires and junction boxes. Mrs S is now happy (phew) but it does mean that I have actually not managed to solve anything complex this week (apart from a bunch of Karakuri puzzles that I managed to get my mitts on at the MPP). My unsolved puzzle backlog is epic!

I did come home from Birmingham yesterday with a couple of freebies. The Jigsaw Box designed by Theo Geerinck and the late Symen Hovinga and a Crane puzzle rather reminiscent of the origami flapping birds that I used to make as a kid (I can still remember how to fold it).

Whilst relaxing in front of the TV with Mrs S last night, I took the crane apart and scrambled the pieces. 

Quite lot of small parts to fall down the sofa

Once I had left it for a while I attempted the reassembly. I didn't think it would be terribly tough but Mazikeen was very intrigued by the small green pieces. She would not get off my lap and would not stop pawing at them. At one point she grabbed a wing and ran off with it 😱. I really don't want to have a partially assembled puzzle and even more didn't want a trip to the vet for removal of puzzle piece from cat intestine. So ensued a hilarious romp around our conservatory as I chased the puddy tat behind the sofa and out the other side before retrieving the errant piece. The reassembly took me another 20 minutes due to constantly dropping pieces whilst preventing the minx from running off again. The assembly, once completed was a nice rewarding challenge and requires a little thought to ensure that the key piece actually locks in place. Thanks Allard.

Next up, the Jigsaw box. 3D printed with 4 identical walls to the box and a lid and bottom. the walls can slide onto each other sequentially but this leaves the top and bottom of the box blocked. It seems impossible to place them. Time for a think© and it quickly becomes apparent that this little challenge is not a Jigsaw. It's a coordinate motion puzzle. I was kind of hoping that I might have more luck with this than the last coordinate motion puzzle that I picked up at an MPP!

This six piece puzzle from Stewart Coffin remains in pieces!

Luckily, the jigsaw box is only a little bit fiddly and doesn't require 4 hands and the ability to reverse gravitational fields. After a few minutes, avoiding the cat and jiggling pieces about to the right position and then pushing them all into place simultaneously, I had my Jigsaw box:

Strangely satisfying!

Hopefully this week will give me a bit more puzzling time.

I Don't Understand The Difficulty!

Chiral 2&2 by Koichi Miura

Sigh! I have been working on this puzzle for since I got it in amongst a large batch from Mine way back in February 2021. Yes, that is 5 years! It has been in my work bag for the whole time and I would take it out to play with it at least once every week or two and even let colleagues play if they showed interest and could be trusted not to use force. It never got solved. It's a pretty simple challenge. There are 4 tetrominoes (2 pairs of chiral shapes) to be fitted into a 3x3x2 box through a diagonal opening in the top. There are no other holes or widening to be useful. It really shouldn't be that hard. 

It certainly should be clever because it won a Jury honourable mention at the 2021 IPP design competition. Usually puzzles that are incredibly tough don't do particularly well in the competition. It requires a solution to be beautiful or unusual or really clever. Despite the supposed lack of extreme difficulty, I just couldn't seem to solve it. I had tried what I thought was every possible move and every possible assembly and just failed every time.

Always easy to get 3 of the 4 pieces in!

Usually after a period of several months, I remove failed puzzles from my work bag and transfer them to the desk in my study or one of the various caches of unsolved toys around the house. But I hadn't done it with this one for several reasons. My study desk is now so completely covered in stuff I either haven't solved or haven't gotten around to putting away that I daren't add any more for fear of the whole leaning tower coming crashing down. The other puzzle stashes are starting to annoy the present wife (actually they started that about 3 years ago) and so I am trying not to clutter them up more. So, I kept on trying week in and week out.

Recently I have received some rather amazing complex toys and have been working on them:

Emerald Vault

Rune Lock

Two fabulously beautiful challenges from Dedwood crafts - I haven't managed to solve any of Dee's puzzles for a very long time. I don't know why - maybe I am rubbish at puzzles?

Gravity Box

I need my lunch

These fabulous challenges take a long time for someone as dim as me and so I need a few nice quick and easy puzzles to write about as well. In desperation with nothing to write about after I spent 7 hours writing the on-call rotas for our department, I decided to torture myself with something that I had failed on for 5 years. What could possibly go wrong?

As usual, start outside the box, make some shapes that will fit in and see whether they can be taken out piece by piece. There is a very specific set of requirements for the pieces to be removed. I was able to cut down the solution set quite quickly and found a few positions where 1 piece would easily be removed but a second would be impossible. I also (for the 100th time) found a nice arrangement where 2 pieces were removable. Now I needed to work out how I could get the remaining 2 into/out of the box. It was going to need rotations and they were going to be hard to find. There really isn't much room for manoeuvring once one piece is inside. Nothing seemed to work! I found a few nice possible rotational moves but either they wouldn't work when another piece was inside or they took me in the wrong direction. Aargh! I vaguely remember Derek (remember, he's the genius) mentioning to me that one of these puzzles from Mine required a coordinate motion. So I tried that and also got nowhere.

I spent yesterday evening muttering to myself and still failing. Aargh! This morning, I had a nice lie in and came downstairs nice and refreshed - ready to crush it and write up a wonderful review. Mrs S and I have got on board with this intermittent fasting thing and don't eat anything until about 1pm. She duly came into the kitchen for breakfast to find me with my head in my hands and muttering to dark oaths to myself and wishing I had some hair to tear out. As any good wife would, she laughed at me and said I was useless at puzzles and should give it all up. This made me sit up and drop a piece into the box where it sort of fell onto its side in a way that I hadn't thought would be possible.

OMG! By taunting me, she had forced me to find a new move! 

AHA!

Don't look if you don't want to see a spoiler - otherwise click on the button for a solved view.

Why had I failed for so long?

 

I had suddenly found a wonderful move that should have been perfectly obvious from the very beginning. It wasn't even that difficult a move but I had not been able to see it for all those years until a combination of desperation and ridicule made it possible. Maybe I need to get Mrs S to make fun of me more often? Maybe not!

Burrtools tells me that there are 10 possible assemblies of the pieces into the 3x3x2 shape but only 2 (mirror images) are possible solutions. I didn't use BT until after I had solved it.

I can see why it won the honourable mention. It is not actually that tough but is very clever and well hidden. I just love almost everything that Koichi-san designs. He's a genius too!

These come up for sale periodically on Puzzle Paradise and it's definitely worth getting hold of a copy.

Can I Add Up?

I Can With The Help Of Gorgeous Wood!

Cubic Fusion by Juno

I just cannot resist 2 things - beautiful wood and recreational mathematics. Oh ok, make that 4 things - I need to add puzzles (almost all of them) and cats as well. It would also appear that cats appreciate wood and puzzles as well:

Amenadiel and Mazikeen love wooden puzzles too!

A week or so ago, Juno announced the availability of his latest creation and I ordered it straight away. It flew all the way around the world faster than post usually goes from one length of the UK to the other! I received it and admired the fabulous woods that I asked for - just look at the grain on the box and on the Zebrano block:

My goodness it is so beautiful!
Camphor Laurel box with Zebrano, Silky Oak, and New Guinea Walnut blocks

The box has a 6x6x6 cavity, the small block is 3x3x3 and the larger blocks can be simultaneously assembled into a 4x4x4 and a 5x5x5 cube.

It will be a nice practical geometric proof that

3x3x3 + 4x4x4 + 5x5x5 = 6x6x6

if you can assemble all the shapes inside the box.

It's not terribly hard to do but it is very satisfying. Having solved it in about 20 minutes, I put the shapes into Burrtools which told me that there were only 2 solutions (both having 2 pieces that could be switched). It is very satisfying to see the arithmetical result displayed geometrically like that. Juno seems to think that most puzzlers might take about an hour to assemble the big cube. This would make it the perfect puzzle for newbies as well as us old hands. I will be taking this to work for a week or so to see what my colleagues think of it. It will then look glorious on display. Thank you Juno.

It is still available from Pluredro just now. You even get to choose which type of grain you would like for the box.

Update:

Having written my blog post and published it, I decided to solve it again so that I could pack it up to take to work. OMG! I retract the statement that it's not terribly hard! I cannot seem to solve it a second time. I must have gotten lucky the first time - this will be fun to show colleagues.