2018 Puzzle Design Competition

Entries

The Design Competition Guide (same content: photos, instructions, and notes) is available here.

The following is a summary of the 67 entries in the 2018 competition (click on images for larger photos).

All designs are copyrighted and are the intellectual property of the designer. All rights are reserved.

Auzzle A2

Designer: Ilya V Osipov
Goal: Collect all the magnets drawn to each other along the equator.

Materials: Wood, plastic
Classification: SEQ-GRP

Purchase: Contact the designer by or Facebook. A few pieces produced; $100.

Auzzle A2

Bermuda Rhombus

Designer: Vladimir Krasnoukhov
Goal: To pack all 10 elements (including the little rhombus) inside the frame.

Materials: Acrylic, plastic
Classification: [1.1] 2Dimensional assembly / Paradox

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Bermuda Rhombus

Box with Two Balls

Designer: Christoph Lohe
Goal: Remove the two balls from the box, and get them back to the starting position.

Materials: Bolivian rosewood, yellowheart, padauk, wenge, acrylic
Classification: Interlocking, gravitational maze, dexterity

Purchase: Available in 2019 at rombol.de. IPP version available at WoodWonders.

Box with Two Balls

Casino

Designer: Volker Latussek
Goal: Pack six discs into the box.

Materials: Dark oak and light false acacia
Classification: Disentanglement

Purchase: Available at rombol.de, starting October 2018.

Casino

Chocolate Box

Designer: George Bell
Goal: Pack the six pieces into the box and close the lid.

Materials: Wood (box), 3D-printed nylon (pieces)
Classification: 3D Assembly

Chocolate Box

Chorazin

Designer: Yael Meron
Goal: Put all parts inside the frame.

Materials: Plastic and brass
Classification: [1.2] 3-Dimensional assembly

Chorazin

Cube Wrapper

Designer: Iwahiro (Hirokazu Iwasawa)
Goal: Wrap the cube steadily with the fabric bag so that all the faces of the cube are completely covered.

Materials: Fabric and wooden cube
Classification: (Slocum 1.3) Miscellaneous put-together

Cube Wrapper

Cubemaker

Designer: Volker Latussek
Goal: Find the two arrangements to form four dark cubes on the table.

Materials: Jacaranda and maple
Classification: Disentanglement

Notes: The arrangements are perfectly stable without outside support.

Purchase: Available at rombol.de, the blue challenge of the puzzle called Touch me.

Cubemaker

Disks

Designer: Roy Leban
Goal: Find the hidden message.

Materials: Acrylic
Classification: PAT-DISS

Disks

Double Checkered

Designer: Guy Loel
Goal:

  • Pick six pieces out of the seven pieces and assemble a 3x3 checkered cube with black corners.
  • Pick six pieces out of the seven pieces and assemble a 3x3 checkered cube with white corners.
  • Pack all seven pieces into the box.
  • Use all seven pieces to make a 3x3x4 tower with a hole through the middle.
Materials: Wood
Classification: 1.2 3-Dimensional assembly

Notes: All goals have a unique solution.

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Double Checkered

Double Tumbler

Designer: Jon Keegan
Goal: Release the cap from the housing.

Materials: Aluminum, bearings
Classification: Take-apart

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Double Tumbler

Duck Pack Puzzle

Designer: Stuart Gee
Goal: Pack all five ducks and the egg inside the box so they all sit flat on the bottom of the box

Materials: Jarra, Tasmanian oak
Classification: 3D packing

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Duck Pack Puzzle

5L Box

Designer: Hajime Katsumoto
Goal: Put five identical pieces in the box and close its lid completely.

Materials: Wood,MDF, acrylic
Classification: 3D assembly

Notes: There are two blocking cubes inside the box, including one attached to the inside of the sldiing lid.

Purchase: Available ONLY in Japan at PUZZLE of MINE * WEB-SHOP. But the timing of sale is undecided.

5L Box

4-Directional Trapsticks

Designer: John and Jane Kostick
Goal: Surround a rhombic dodecahedron with the nine pieces.

Materials: Wood (beech and bubinga)
Classification: Interlocking

Purchase: Order from kosticks.com or by .

4-Directional Trapsticks

Free Me 6

Designer: Joe Turner
Goal: Free the coin from the puzzle.

Materials: Wood, metal rods/springs/nails, steel balls, coin
Classification: Take-apart

Purchase: Contact the designer by for details.

Free Me 6

Fric Cube

Designer: Chirag Mehta
Goal:

  • Disassemble the cube into the four identical pieces. No physical strength is required; with the correct movement the pieces should fall apart.
  • Once the pieces have fallen apart, reassemble the cube.
Materials: 3D-printed nylon, wire
Classification: Slocum 2.1 & 6.4

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Fric Cube

Garland Puzzle

Designer: Alexander E Holroyd
Goal: Arrange all 30 pieces in a circular ring. Adjacent pieces must interlock (but may have small gaps where two sockets line up with each other).

Materials: Acrylic
Classification: Slocum 1.1

Purchase: Contact the designer by or at Anteater Toys. Limited quantity available, US$40.

Garland Puzzle

Gear and Wrenches

Designer: Andrei Ivanov
Goal: Take apart and put together.

Materials: Stainless steel
Classification: Disentanglement

Purchase: Available at Metallofactura.

Gear and Wrenches

GSP

Designer: Ilan Garibi
Goal: 18 wood tiles are connected with paper hinges, each at a certain length. The objective is to stack all tiles one on top of the other, so no hinge is loose or stretched.

Materials: Wood and Tyvek
Classification: Folding

GSP

Gyrotwisty

Designer: Diniar Namdarian
Goal: Take the pieces apart and put them back together

Materials: PLA
Classification: 2.1 Slocum

Purchase: Contact the designer by . Will cost 15 euros.

Gyrotwisty

Happy Ending!

Designer: Frederic Boucher
Goal: Assemble the four pieces in a "happy ending" way.

Materials: Wood
Classification: Put-together

Happy Ending!

Hide the Gold

Designer: George Sicherman
Goal: Arrange the pieces so that the gold (light) parts are surrounded by the red (dark) parts.

Materials: Redheart and yellowheart.
Classification: Slocum 1.2 : 3-Dimensional Assembly

Hide the Gold

Hydrant

Designer: Stephan Baumegger
Goal: Find the fire hose.

Materials: Various woods, metal (screws, spring, magnets)
Classification: Slocum 2.1

Purchase: Contact the designer by or Facebook.

Hydrant

IQ Lolly

Designer: Patrick Chan
Goal: Arrange scrambled blocks into sequential order.

Materials: PLA
Classification: Sliding pieces

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

IQ Lolly

Jenga Block

Designer: Haym Hirsh
Goal: Place all the pieces so they fit inside the box.

Materials: Jenga blocks, barn wood
Classification: Interlocking Solid

Jenga Block

Jenga^3

Designer: Haym Hirsh
Goal: Take the puzzle apart into its four pieces, mix them up, then reassemble them back into a cube.

Materials: Jenga blocks
Classification: Interlocking Solid

Jenga^3

Jewel Thief

Designer: Jon Keegan
Goal:

  • Use thimble cipher and coded message to unlock combination lock.
  • Free the jewel thief
  • Retrieve the jewel
Materials: Aluminum, brass, steel, acrylic
Classification: Take-apart

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Jewel Thief

Jigsaw Puzzle 29

Designer: Yuu Asaka
Goal: Put all the pieces into the frame.

Materials: Acrylic
Classification: Put-together

Purchase: Contact the designer on Facebook.

Jigsaw Puzzle 29

Leftovers

Designer: Laszlo Molnar
Goal: Put the pieces together into a cubic shape.

Materials: Ziricote , brass
Classification: 1.2 3-D assembly

Purchase: Available at WoodWonders.

Leftovers

Loopy Lattice Puzzles

Designer: Namick Salakhov
Goal: Release the looped rope from the lattice or branch, and then embed it into the start position Lattice: the deepest compartments indicated by red pointers Branch: the root compartment in the top end

Materials: Vinyl, rope with clasp
Classification: 4.3 String puzzles, 5.6 Miscellaneous sequential movement

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Loopy Lattice Puzzles

Lucida

Designer: Osanori Yamamoto
Goal: Assemble two pieces fully inside the frame.

Materials: Wood
Classification: Interlocking

Lucida

Magnetic Madness

Designer: Jerry McFarland
Goal:

  • Remove the key piece
  • Rescue (remove) princess figure from inside of puzzle
Materials: Wood, magnets, metal pins
Classification: Interlocking

Magnetic Madness

Mesh

Designer: Volker Latussek
Goal: Weave the stripes to a 4x4 grid.

Materials: Horween shell, cordovan, and brass
Classification: Interlocking

Purchase: Order from Ross & Rind or by .

Mesh

Mini Lock

Designer: Christoph Lohe
Goal: Remove the blocks and shackle from the frame, and return the pieces to the starting position.

Materials: Ash, purpleheart
Classification: Interlocking

Mini Lock

Mischief

Designer: Jerry Loo
Goal: Fold the handkerchief into a square, with 1-2 (in order) on on side, and 3-4 (in order) on the other. Both sides of the handkerchief can be used, but all the numbers must be right side up.

Materials: Polyester
Classification: Folding

Purchase: Available at JL Puzzles. Price per piece US$24.95 plus S&H.

Mischief

Mobius Ring

Designer: Aaron Wang
Goal: Remove the rope and ring.

Materials: Metal, rope
Classification: Topological disentanglement

Purchase: Contact the designer by . Price: $16/pc.

Mobius Ring

Mobius Triangles 540

Designer: Noboru Hayashi
Goal: Disentangle the two parts.

Materials: Bronze, stainless steel
Classification: Disentanglement

Notes: Steel piece has a straight gap; bronze piece has none.

Mobius Triangles 540

Nail S&S

Designer: Noboru Hayashi
Goal: Disentangle the two parts.

Materials: Steel nails
Classification: Disentanglement

Nail S&S

Nail Trinity

Designer: Noboru Hayashi
Goal: Disentargle the three parts.

Materials: Steel nails
Classification: Disentanglement

Nail Trinity

Nosey Puzzle

Designer: Alexander E Holroyd
Goal: Fit all nine pieces flat in the tray without overlaps.

Materials: Acrylic
Classification: Slocum 1.1

Purchase: Contact the designer by or at Anteater Toys. Limited quantity available, US$25.

Nosey Puzzle

Pack 012

Designer: Osanori Yamamoto
Goal: Build the apparent 3x3x2 block into the box.

Materials: Wood and MDF (color print)
Classification: Interlocking

Pack 012

Pocket

Designer: MINE (Mineyuki Uyematsu) & Koichi Miura
Goal: Put the four pieces into the case (pocket) completely.

Materials: Acrylic
Classification: Put-together, sliding pieces

Purchase: Available ONLY in Japan at PUZZLE of MINE * WEB-SHOP. But the timing of sale is undecided.

Pocket

Pushbutton Burr

Designer: Ken Irvine
Goal: Disassemble and reassemble. Push the buttons to start the disassembly process.

Materials: Canarywood and Indian rosewood
Classification: Interlocking (geometric object)
Pushbutton Burr

Quadrupled Quadlooplet

Designer: Namick Salakhov and Davud Salahov
Goal:

  • Start with the looped rope threaded through adjacent holes of the core plate. Release the rope, and then return it to the starting position.
  • Start with the looped rope threaded through opposite holes of the core plate. Release the rope, and then return it to the starting position.
Materials: Vinyl, rope with clasp
Classification: 4.3 String puzzles, 5.6 Miscellaneous sequential movement

Notes: Unscrew the clasp in the rope to change the starting position for the two goals.

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Quadrupled Quadlooplet

Quartet Box

Designer: Junichi Yananose
Goal: Open the box.

Materials: Hardwood and metal
Classification: 2.1 Trick or secret opening box

Purchase: Available at Pluredro.

Quartet Box

RDS Interlock

Designer: John and Jane Kostick
Goal: There are three types of puzzle pieces (Receivers (R) are composed of five sticks,
Standard pieces (D) are composed of four sticks, Sliders (S) are composed of three sticks) and multiple challenges. Assemble 12 pieces around a rhombic dodecahedron:

  • Use 4 R's, 4 D's, and 4 S's (11 solutions)
  • Use 3 R's, 6 D's, and 3 S's (14 solutions)
  • Use 2 R's, 8 D's, and 2 S's (3 solutions)
Materials: Wood (bubinga, white oak, zircote)
Classification: interlocking

Purchase: Order from kosticks.com or by .

RDS Interlock

Rollercoaster

Designer: Laszlo Molnar
Goal: Put the pieces fully inside the box, without touching them inside the box.

Materials: Acrylic, exotic wood
Classification: put-together, dexterity

Purchase: Available at Mr Puzzle Australia.

Rollercoaster

Rota Cube

Designer: Lucie Pauwels
Goal: Take apart and assemble.

Materials: Wood
Classification: 3.2 Interlocking geometric object

Rota Cube

Sewing Box

Designer: Diniar Namdarian
Goal: Take the pieces apart and put them back together.

Materials: ABS, PLA
Classification: 2.1 Slocum

Purchase: Contact the designer by . Puzzle will cost 15 Euros.

Sewing Box

Siamese Snails

Designer: Andrei Ivanov
Goal: Take apart and put together.

Materials: Stainless steel and glass
Classification: Interlocking solid

Purchase: Available at Metallofactura.

Siamese Snails

Six Mix

Designer: Sam Cornwell
Goal: Starting from the arrangement shown:

  • Slide chains to make an inner orange circle.
  • Slide chains to make an inner black circle.
  • Make one color inner circle with outer colors sorted.
Materials: Recycled wood and hardboard
Classification: 5.3 2D sliding block

Six Mix

Slideways Cube

Designer: Ray Stanton and Lee Krasnow
Goal: Disassemble and reassemble.

Materials: Aluminum, stainless, bronze matrix, maple, ebony
Classification: interlocking coordinate motion

Purchase: Available at pacificpuzzleworks (Etsy). Limited edition of 85 produced, $750 each.

Slideways Cube

Symmetry 2345

Designer: Frederic Boucher
Goal: You have four double-sided pieces from 2-5 units. For each possible group of three pieces, and using all four pieces, make a symmetrical shapes. The position and orientation of the triangle marks must also be symmetrical (8 solutions in all).

Materials: MDF
Classification: 2D assembly

Notes: The position and orientation of the triangles are different on opposite sides of the pieces.

Purchase: In Japan, order from puzzlein.com; outside Japan, contact designer by .

Symmetry 2345

T Cube

Designer: Yael Friedman
Goal: Arrange the hinged parts on the magnetic cube so that they will completely cover it.

Materials: 3D printed PETG, magnets, steel plate
Classification: ASS-STRA

T Cube

The Tao

Designer: Kim Klobucher
Goal: Move various sections of the box in the correct sequence until a piece can be removed to open the box.

Materials: Resin infused douglas fir, brass inlay with bois de rose
Classification: Slocum 2 Take-apart

The Tao

10 Balls 1 Cup

Designer: Chris Enright
Goal: Completely fit all 10 balls into the cup so that no balls are above the top surface of cup (demonstrate this by then turning the cup upside-down on flat surface showing it is stable and does not teeter on the three supports).

Materials: Delrin and ABS plastic, and nylon rope
Classification: ASS-OTH

10 Balls 1 Cup

Three Cubes

Designer: Ichiro Kohno
Goal: Construct three cubes with three pieces.

Materials: Nutmeg wood, magnets
Classification: Put-Together

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Three Cubes

TicTac's Tactics

Designer: Eric Harshbarger
Goal: Arrange the hinged tiles into a 3x3 square to form each of the four possible winning tic-tac-toe configurations:

  • Gold X's
  • Silver X's
  • Gold O's
  • Silver O's
Materials: 3D-printed PLA plastic
Classification: Hinged, manipulation

TicTac's Tactics

Transpa Color Wheel

Designer: Dmitry Andreev
Goal: Slide the pieces to transform the puzzle between two states:

  • All four petals of each circle are of the same color
  • All four petals of each circle are of different colors.
Materials: Transparent and colored acrylic
Classification: 5.3 3D sliding piece

Purchase: Available at Pluton23 (Etsy).

Transpa Color Wheel

Trinity

Designer: Kyoo Wong
Goal: Take apart and reassemble. Each each piece interlocks with two other pieces via an organic design.

Materials: Zinc alloy
Classification: Take-apart

Notes: There are numerous ways of assembling.

Purchase: Contact the designer by .

Trinity

TriQuad

Designer: Carl Hoff and Bram Cohen
Goal: Mix up and restore the puzzle to the solved state. In the solved state each face is a solid color. There should also be two complete circles formed from cutouts in the tiles on each face (except for white). These circles allow the puzzle to be super solved.

Materials: ABS (FDM)
Classification: Sequential Movement - 5.4 Rotating piece puzzles

Purchase: Available at Chewie's Custom Stickers, for $150.

TriQuad

Turf in Box

Designer: Koichi Miura
Goal: Pack the five pieces into the box.

Materials: Acrylic, MDF
Classification: Put-together

Purchase: Available ONLY in Japan at PUZZLE of MINE * WEB-SHOP. But the timing of sale is undecided.

Turf in Box

Unicum

Designer: Norbert Galla
Goal: Make a symmetric shape with the three pieces.

Materials: Pink ivory
Classification: 2D assembly

Unicum

Wasp Coaster

Designer: Carl Hoff
Goal: Assemble the six interlocking bands into a coaster where all six bands lie flat on the table.

Materials: Polished brass
Classification: 1.3 Miscellaneous put-together

Purchase: Available at Shapeways, in a variety of materials.

Wasp Coaster

Wavelinks

Designer: Rod Bogart
Goal: Take apart the linked rings into four identical pieces, then put them back together.

Materials: 3D-printed nylon plastic
Classification: 3.6

Wavelinks

X-Cage

Designer: Frederic Boucher
Goal: Pack the five X-shaped pieces inside the cage.

Materials: Wood, acrylic
Classification: Put-together

Purchase: Available at Cubicdissection.

X-Cage

XOteric 2󫎾

Designer: Carl Hoff
Goal: Mix up and restore the cube to the solved state. In the solved state each face is a solid color aside from the super-stickers/aches indicating the color of the adjacent face neighboring each circle piece.

Materials: Polyamide (SLS), ABS (FDM), laser-cut acrylic
Classification: Sequential Movement - 5.4 rotating pieces

Purchase: Contact the designer by if you are interested in a finished puzzle.

XOteric 2󫎾

© 2001-2018 by