Tetradyma

Name
Tetradyma

Designer
Yavuz Demirhan. For more information on his other puzzle designs, click here.

Manufacturer
Pelikan from the Czech Republic

Type & Classification
Interlocking burr

Dimensions
6.4 cm (Height) x 6.4 cm (Width) x 6.4 cm (Depth).

Materials & Construction
The entire puzzle is made of Wenge wood, giving it a very dark appearance. Construction is very good with light bevelling of the edges for a nicer feel. Fit was a bit on the tight side perhaps due to the humidity, remaining even so after several days in a camera dry box . But things loosened up considerably after some playing and now the pieces slide smoothly but snugly. It's sturdy and would not come apart on its own.

Overview
This a one of a great number of puzzles from super-prolific Turkish designer, Yavuz Demirhan who I understand has done over 150 puzzle designs! I have bought a host of his other puzzles and will get round to them in due course.

The Tetradyma came to me assembled . Comprising of four identical pieces that interlock to form a cube, the object is to firstly figure out how to disassemble the pieces and thereafter put everything back together.  At first, I was wondering if my puzzle was jammed; because no matter how much I pressed and pushed the sides and edges of the puzzle, nothing seemed to budge.

I actually resorted to knocking the puzzle on a piece of rug on the floor to try to loosen things. After a couple of hard knocks, one of the edges began to move ever so slightly and I was well on my way. It didn't take me too long to disassemble the puzzle but assembly was more tricky. Although only four pieces, the pieces are shaped irregularly and being all of the same colour, trying to fit them back together proved to be far more challenging than taking apart. After a while of fiddling, I managed to manoeuvre (if this is the right term to use) the last piece back into its place before sliding the puzzle back into its solved cube state.

Difficulty Level
Easy-ish to moderate difficulty; but that's because it came assembled. I would imagine it to be far more challenging if it came disassembled and you have to first figure out the solved shape. In this instance, I didn't have to resort to Burr Tools :-)

Summary
This in my view is a great puzzle for puzzlers who (like moi) cannot handle those "twenty-something-moves-to-remove-the-first-piece" type interlocking burrs. Relatively easy to take apart  but with a bit more effort required to put together. Nice!