ZooLogical Garden #1

Here's a 2D packing puzzle that has occupied me for the last couple of evenings. The ZG#1 looks like your typical packing puzzle but comes with a twist...literally! Designed by Mineyuki Uyematsu (MINE) in 2013, it has a 3-unit piece anchored to the tray. This is a restraining piece that adds to the difficulty of the puzzle, even tho' it is able to rotate 360 degrees.

The four loose pieces look pretty "simple" enough and are precision laser cut to resemble the shape of "animals", hence the name of the puzzle. Don't know about you, but I can (see) a chicken, snake, skunk and coyote! The tray is a regular 7x7 grid square.

There are two challenges here:-

#1 - Place all the three white pieces into the tray
#2 - Place any two pieces AND the red piece into the tray. (Problem-it doesn't say which two to use)

Simple looking but the puzzling is anything but simple. In fact it is damn challenging especially #2.

I didn't have too much problem with challenge #1 for this puzzle, partly because I design some 2D puzzles myself and have played with a number of them, and some with rather odd solutions (hint). However challenge #2 eluded me all the while. It is very difficult because you need to first find the two correct white pieces and then combine them with the red piece. (my interpretation of challenge #2). Despite my many attempts at trying the (three) possible combinations to figure out which of the two white pieces to use, nothing worked. I could have been using the right white pieces  all the while (and didn't know it) but still couldn't manage to solve the puzzle.

With the aid of Burr Tools (thank goodness it works for this puzzle), I was able to narrow down the two required pieces and from there arrived at the solution; something which I have no hesitation to admit that I wouldn't have been able to do on my own. 

For packing puzzle lovers, definitely a must-get (unfortunately from what I can tell, its not available on MINE's site at the moment). When I bought it from MINE during the IPP in 2013, I remembered it was not expensive at all. So I would say its good value for money with plenty of puzzling; two challenges - the first easier (but probably will be hard for many, except seasoned packing puzzlers) and the second a real toughie!

Slide X

Name
Slide X

Designer
Yasuhiro Hashimoto

Manufacturer & Availability
Produced by DYLAN-Kobo (PUZZLE of MINE). Copies may still be available.

Type & Classification
Sliding Block Puzzle

Dimensions
7.6cm x 9.8cm x 0.4cm

Materials & Construction
Laser cut acrylic. Very precisely cut with sharp edges, resulting in an excellent quality puzzle.  Tolerances are just nice and the combo colours of red, white, blue and black make the puzzle stand out.

Overview
Slide X was Iwahiro's (Hirokazu Iwasawa) IPP35 Exchange Puzzle in Ottawa, Canada last year. 

There are a total of 8 pieces; 4 white rectangles and 4 black "L" pieces. Together they cover a substantial part of the red tray.

This is a sliding block puzzle with a bit of difference. Instead of moving the pieces from a start position to an end position as what most puzzlers are used to, the challenge is to form various silhouette shapes. A great and unusal design concept nonetheless!

The main challenge consist of a warm-up "practice run" (see photo) to change the silhouette of a "red cross" to a "U". This one takes 14 moves. Not a lot of moves but because now you are focusing on the "U" shape, the puzzle is harder than the 14 moves would suggest (at least for me). So what I did was to focus my attention on where the pieces should end up and tried to ignore the "U". 

Now for the main problem which requires a minimum of 48 moves, the instructions do not come showing the end position of the individual pieces. So the starting point is probably to pack the pieces into the tray to see how the "T" is formed. And then figure it out from there. A photo would certainly help! In any event, it was too difficult for me and I gave up after a number of tries. 8 pieces to slide is really no joke. But I did succeed in one of the other easier challenges on the separate problem sheet.

Difficulty
There are a total of 14 challenges in all with increasing levels of difficulty, ranging from 14 to 114 moves! I am not good at sliding puzzles. Notwithstanding, I think this one is really difficult especially for the higher level challenges. Definitely a sliding puzzle not to be missed by die-hard sliding puzzle enthusiasts.

Hanayama Cast Hexagon

Update 24 October 2017 - Dear Reader, please check out my new puzzle blog and e-store at http://mechanical-puzzles.com

The Cast Hexagon is the latest Cast puzzle to come from the Hanayama stable. The Hexagon was designed by Mineyuki Uyematsu who gave us wonderful packing puzzles such as the T4-II, T4-III and Caramel Box. 

The Hexagon also won the Jury Honourable Mention Award at the IPP34 Puzzle Design Competition. It was originally called "The Claws Of Satan" during IPP34 but it would have sounded very weird if Hanayama had used the name "Cast Claws Of Satan" or worse still, "Cast Satan"! Hexagon definitely sounds more appealing.

The Hexagon appears to be made of steel (I think) and in two colour tones. The choice of external finish for the Hexagon is IMHO really nice for this one, in matt silver and dark grey and not some gaudy chrome or shiny brass.  Construction and quality of my copy is very good and everything moves smoothly as intended.

The object of the puzzle is to separate the three "claws" from the base plate. When you first start to explore the puzzle, all the "claws" or pieces are able to move in various directions but all are locked within the confines of the plate. The pieces are able not only to move linearly but can also rotate at certain positions within the plate. As you puzzle on, hopefully you will be able to understand the trick of the puzzle and how to get the pieces "out". 

I do not want to give too much away here to spoil the fun of still many puzzlers who have yet to get a copy. But like an interlocking burr, once you get the first piece out from the plate, the rest of the pieces come off much easier. It took me about fifteen minutes to disassemble the Hexagon...but it took me a good hour to reassemble it! Because I had forgotten the positions of the pieces relative to the plate and their orientation during the taking apart. While I could get all three pieces back within the confines of the plate, I hit dead ends quite a couple of times and had to disassemble the whole thing and start over again. If you want to, take photos as you go along, so the reassembly will be less frustrating.

The Hexagon is a very nice addition to the Hanayama Cast range. Nice design and well made. For the price of a typical cast puzzle, a lot of puzzling for the money. Its rated four out of six stars for difficulty and this I feel is about right; challenging yes, but not frustratingly so. A great addition to any collection and a must-buy for cast puzzle lovers.

As far as I can tell, the Hexagon is only currently available from PuzzleMaster of Canada for CA$12.95. Eventually it will make its way to other online sellers, including Amazon. Those living in Asia may want to buy direct from Mineyuki via his website. Its in Japanese but click on the link at the lower left sidebar - "overseas mail order", while those in Europe can buy it from Eureka Puzzles.

Coin Puzzles by MINE

I got these puzzles recently from Japanese puzzle designer, Mineyuki Oyematsu, or MINE as he known in the puzzling community. MINE runs a website where he sells a range of mechanical puzzles. The site is all in Japanese and the Coin puzzles don't appear to be listed on the site. But you can contact MINE directly via his international mail order link which is in English. 

Each of the puzzles have got rather cute names such as "Hard-Boiled Coin", Hole Vacancy Coin and "Remove A! Coin (^^)". There is also a fourth heart-shaped version called "Lucky Sixpence" which I now regret not getting. 

The object of each of the coin puzzles is, yes.... to remove the coin. All three puzzles are made of precision laser cut acrylic and the puzzles are made by layers stacked and screwed together. Quality of manufacture is excellent with nicely etched wordings.

In terms of difficulty, Hard-Boiled and Hole Vacancy are not difficult and I solved both quite quickly. Notwithstanding, both puzzles are rather tricky and may throw some puzzlers off for a bit because their mechanisms are well hidden.  

However I had some trouble with Remove A! Coin. Took me quite a while to figure out the mechanism and even then, after a few tries, I am still not exactly sure how the puzzle works. Of the three, this last one is the most tricky and difficult. I checked with MINE and he confirmed indeed the puzzle had a few tricks not found in the previous two. 

Very nicely made and pocket-able puzzles worth getting, and value for money too; their prices ranging from 1,700Y (US$14) to 2,100Y (US$16).

Caramel Box

Caramel Box is the IPP34 design competition entry from Yasuhiro Hashimoto and Mineyuki Uyematsu (MINE). It also came in top 10 for most votes garnered for the Puzzlers' Award.

While I am not too familiar with Hashimoto-san, I enjoy MINE's designs and have a couple of his puzzles including the T4-II and T4-III. His packing puzzles usually do not have a lot of pieces (no more than 4), but yet provides a nice (and not overly difficult) challenge that is just right. Caramel Box is one such puzzle, although it did stump me a fair bit longer than the previous two.

There are two challenges here... to get two sets of various irregular shaped pieces flat into the metal box. Usually not a problem since its only a 3x3x2 but in this case the opening of the box has an obstruction in one corner, making the solve more difficult than one might imagine.

Packing the pieces would require you to figure out the shape the pieces must form to fit inside the box...pretty straight forward, although the wrong shape would mean getting stuck along the way. And then figuring out how to insert the pieces into the box...which is not so straight forward. I found the second challenge easier than the first, which is a bit odd since the first is usually the easier of the two.

Quality and build is excellent. The two sets of wood pieces are made from Teak and Poa Rosa respectively and the box is thick walled steel. A really solid mix of metal and wood.

Overall a really nice puzzle of high quality. I believe there are still some copies available for sale. You can purchase the Caramel Box and other puzzles via MINE's website. Yes, he does ship overseas.

T4-III (Tea For 3) / Square In the Bag

Recently when Mineyuki Uyematsu (Mine) made available the T4 and Square-In-The-Bag puzzles, I hitched an order through puzzle designer Goh Pit Khiam to save on some shipping costs and ordered the T4-III and Square In The Bag.

T4-III (Tea For 3)

I had found Mine's T4-II (Tea For 2) pretty fun and challenging. Check out my review here.

Like the T4-II, the T4-III is a 3D packing puzzle and dimensionally the same size as its cousin, at 7.6cm square and 3cm tall. The box is walnut and the 4 pieces are Yellowheart and Purpleheart. Excellent construction and quality overall with good contrasting coloured woods used.

The object is to place all 4 pieces (T-shaped...hence the name!) inside the box. It would have been an easy puzzle if not for the fact that the box has an acrylic cover with a cut-out which the pieces have to go through.

As I already have experience solving the T4-II, I sort of knew how things would operate with the T4-III. It took me several minutes and I got all 4 pieces into the box. Compared with the T4-II, I would say the T4-III is more challenging. However, its not so unduly difficult that it would frustrate. You need to know how to orientate the pieces correctly first (outside of the box) to assess how they would fit inside and then figure which pieces to go inside first (yes, there is a proper sequence here).

Square In The Bag

Last year, I had the chance to borrow and play with Hirokazu Iwasawa's CorRECTly In The Bag, the rectangular version of the puzzle.  

What I have said in my review about CorRECTly In The Bag will be applicable here. Square In The Bag is offered in 3 versions, with the price differentials dependent on the quality and design of the cloth bag provided. The one in the photo is the most expensive of the three with a geometric pattern design and red inner lining.The wood square is a checkered design and both bag and square are beautifully made.

I already knew the solution so took me less than 30 seconds to solve this one. Square In The Bag is one of those puzzles that looks impossible to solve, yet when you solve it (or see the solution happening before your eyes), its incredible and the a-ha moment is really great!

For those living in Europe/USA, you may wish to contact UK based Satomi Beattie of CU-Japan for availability and order of these puzzles.

T4-II (Tea For 2)

Name
T4-II (Tea For 2)

Designer
Mineyuki Uyematsu who has done over 70 designs to-date.

Manufacturer
Mineyuki Uyematsu. Mineyuki sells the T4-II and other puzzles on his website but is currently sold out. The site is in Japanese so Google translate would help.

Type & Classification
3D Packing

Dimensions
7.6cm (Length) x 7.6cm (Width) x 3cm (Height)

Materials & Construction
A combination of several exotic hardwoods; the box frame is made of what looks like Walnut. Cover is frosted acrylic. Very well made and the pieces have nice bevelled edges throughout.

IPP
T4-II is Mineyuki's entry for the 2013 Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition at IPP33 in Tokyo, Japan this year. 

Overview

I first handled this rather nice looking puzzle at IPP33 during the two days judging process of the design entries but didn't get anywhere with it. When it came to the day of the Puzzle Party, Mineyuki had a number of copies for sale and I duly bought one.

T4-II is a 3D packing puzzle and the object is to fit the 4 pieces into the box. Simple it seems when you first look at the 4 identical T-shaped pieces and try to figure out the layout it would take within the box (not hard this latter part). Except that you have to get them through an odd-shaped looking cut-out on the acrylic cover that seals the box. Even this part seems manageable until you discover that always the last piece can't seem to go in.

The cover makes the puzzle tricky and a bit of thinking outside the box (no pun intended) is required here. Not the usual method of trial and error here; which I normally first adopt, but to no avail of course.

I studied the cut-out in greater detail and tried various movements and orientations with the pieces. Suddenly something clicked and I was on my way to packing all 4 pieces in nicely.

Difficulty Level

Challenging but not too difficult. There is one first important step that will lead the solving process and once you discover this step, the rest becomes obvious. Like I mentioned above, you need to depart from the typical approach here.

Summary
For those who like packing puzzles, this is a good one to acquire. Fun and with an unexpected (but rather rewarding) solution.

CorRECTly In The Bag

Update 23 October 2017 - Dear Reader, please check out my new puzzle blog and e-store at http://mechanical-puzzles.com

Name
CorRECTly In The Bag

Designer
Hirokazu Iwasawa

Manufacturer
Mineyuki Uyematsu. Not available currently.

Type & Classification
Put-Together; 3D assembly

Dimensions
Bag - 18.5cm (Length) x 7.8cm (width)
Rectangle - 12cm (Length) x 9 (width)

Materials & Construction
Bag is made of a high quality cloth adorned with a dragonfly motif with a red inner lining. The rectangle is cut from a cross-section of four different woods joined together giving it a very nice checker board finish.

IPP
CorRECTly In The Bag is a variation of Iwasawa's earlier design, the Square In The Bag which won the Puzzlers' Award at IPP32 in Washington, USA last year.

Overview

I like Hirokazu Iwasawa's puzzle designs very much and in fact own two of his metal puzzles, the Alcyl and Tritalon, both reviewed earlier in this blog. I also had the opporunity to meet him at IPP33 in Tokyo, Japan just this August where he was Chairman of the IPP33 Organising Committee.

This CorRECTly In The Bag was kindly loaned to me by puzzle collector Lee Yee Dian of Malaysia, who happened to be in Singapore recently. Yee Dian had come with Maki Kaji (the Godfather of Sudoku) who was in town to meet some of the local Mensa club members. It was at this Mensa gathering (no, I am not a member cos I am not that smart!) that I first handled the puzzle. Puzzle designer Goh Pit Khiam was also present and had a bash at the puzzle. At IPP33 I had missed out on buying the puzzle sold by Mineyuki Uyematsu which were all snapped up almost immediately once the Puzzle Party began.

The object of the puzzle is to cover fully the entire rectangle with the cloth bag, leaving no gaps. No force is needed, otherwise the cloth bag may tear. Impossible you might say...and this is what I though too when I first looked at the puzzle. It looked like an impossible object at first glance.

I fiddled with the puzzle for quite a while before stumbling on the solution. This is one of those puzzles that give you the A-ha rush feeling once you solve it. The bag can and does cover the whole rectangle; really quite amazing! Even a few of the Mensa members couldn't quite figure out the solution. And these are folks that have an IQ of above 148.

What was even more surprising was that when I got home and showed my wife the puzzle and asked her to try it, she solved it in under five minutes while I went to take a shower. When I got out of the bath, the rectangle was all covered up sitting on the coffee table, with my wife giving me that nonchalant "its-really-no-big-deal" look. Or is it because women know some things about fabric while we men don't. Maybe we puzzlers just think too much while puzzling, that's why some of us (like moi) take ages to solve puzzles, or worse still, need to refer to the solution.

Difficulty Level
Not unduly difficult but provides a very good challenge. Given enough time, however you will eventually figure it out.

Summary
Whether its the CorRECTly In The Bag or Square In The Bag, it really is a very clever design, using non-traditional materials. The very fact that it looks so innocuously simple and the solution is so elegant truly makes this a very unique and wonderful puzzle.

I have heard that people who can't get their hands on this puzzle have resorted to making it themselves. Not difficult I would imagine so long as you have the right dimensions (see mine above but don't blame me if it doesn't turn out right). Also, access to a good seamstress. And for the rectangle (which can be substituted with acrylic or some other easily obtainable material). You may want to contact fellow blogger Roxanne Wong who has blogged about the Square version and has the specs for you to self-make one.

Personally I am considering making myself one as well since I would have to return the puzzle to Yee Dian the next time we meet. Hmm...let me see, how about 6061 Aluminium for the rectangle and calf leather for the bag...now wouldn't that be quite cool!