Mike Makes Me Feel Foolish and Happy!

The 234 Puzzle Cube in its' presentation box with sealed certificate

I actually solved something this week! Hallelujah! Back in November last year, I received an email from a lovely friend who offered me the opportunity of being able to try out one of his new designs as a Christmas present. That wonderful friend is also one of the best puzzle craftsmen in the world. Yes it is the Greek wonder, Mike Toulouzas. I have been lusting after quite a few of his puzzles for many years (I do own a few from him but not enough). I am still hoping that he will make some more of his Illusion puzzle which I reserved from him way back in 2014 and he has still not managed to make any! This fabulous offer was sent to a handful of his puzzle friends and I am so grateful that I am considered significant enough to be included in that very select group.

Mike gave no details away apart from a promise that a puzzle was coming and when it arrived in January, I was blown away by the sheer beauty of it. If you look at his website, you will quickly realise that he never does anything quickly or without precision. Everything is gorgeous and perfect. The box contained a lovely display box and an envelope with a puzzle maker's stamp on it.

Inside the envelope was a certificate with a wax seal. The attention to detail is amazing - the certificate is good heavy card and the edges have been cut with pinking scissors. I almost didn't want to break the seal but had to see what was inside:

All puzzles should have one of these!

It states the woods and I think that this is the first puzzle I own that has Lemon tree wood in it. The box is gorgeous and noteworthy because even the hinge is made of wood with a polished brass dowel. Opening the box lid requires a little pull and because of the design of the legs interacting with the lid, it opens (and closes) with a satisfying click. Inside, the box is packed with beautifully chamfered puzzle pieces:

Just look at that!

The instructions are to make a cube with the pieces and looking inside I did a quick count/calculation. 2x2x7 is 28 which is 1 cubie too many. I tipped them out and saw why. The pieces are stunning and more complex than expected. Mike has signed one of them:

Just 6 pieces - how hard can it be?

Before it arrived, Mike emailed to ask that all the recipients:

1. Time your self when you decide to play. 
2. Record three times the time (cause might be false conclusion from the first ones.
3. Send me the results....and a few words as a feedback would be appreciated.

Having taken my photos and marvelled at Mike's skills, I set to. I should have been doing chores but Mrs S realised that I had something special and I reassured her that at only 6 pieces and "only" having to make a simple cube, it wouldn't take me that long - probably just 2 or 3 minutes.

WRONG!

I set a timer on my phone and off I went. There are 2 fairly large and complex pieces and this seemed an obvious place to start. I tried to be logical and systematic which is a bit of a stretch for my very simple brain. I have very few neurons and most of them have been thoroughly gassed at work! Everything I tried was not working - this was very odd. In the end I solved it with the following times:

1st attempt was 7min 57sec.

2nd attempt was 1min 15sec. (maybe because I had remembered the first?)

3rd attempt was 5min 59sec.

For something so apparently simple, there was definitely something startlingly difficult. Mike has designed this deliberately to lead the puzzler astray. Your first thoughts about how to solve this are very much led in the wrong direction. The third time, I knew that the conventional approach was wrong but I just couldn't seem to work out the correct one until I had exhausted several obvious failures. When I pointed this out to Mike, he agreed that this was a deliberate feature and almost everyone has the same problem. He had noticed it with "normal" people (adults and kids) and wanted to see whether us "abnormal" people do the same thing.

I am sort of delighted to know that I am at least slightly normal but judging from comments received from work colleagues, they do not think of me as very normal at all. 😱😳🤣
 

AT the moment, Mike is not planning on making these for sale but may do in the future. If you do see an opportunity to buy any Puzzlevision creations then you should jump at the chance.Thank you Mike for such a wonderful opportunity and a fabulous puzzle for display!

Previous Toulouzas creations (either alone or in collaboration with another creator):

Trigo	Trinity
Puzzle splines	Doors and Drawers

They Made it Right...

In Fact Probably Better Than Ever!

Trinity

Yes it’s time for you all to rush back to Pelikan Puzzles again and look at a bunch of gorgeous new toys! Not only have they released new stuff but the mistake they made with the last Yamamoto packing puzzle has been fixed and the replacement box is available for all who purchased it for free.

Back in the mists of time (2014) when I attended my first IPP in London, I remember playing with and admiring the stunning beauty of a puzzle designed and made by Mike Toulouzas in the Design Competition room (he actually had 3 entries that year and won the puzzlers award for his Fairy's Door puzzle box). I did not know at the time that it was one of Mike's puzzles but other puzzlers with more experience recognised straight away who had made it from the craftsmanship. I do remember playing with it briefly and not getting anywhere quickly. I made a mental note to keep an eye out for one possibly being released in the future because it was very beautiful and very tactile.

Number 3 of 60

Now, five years on, Mike has collaborated with Jakub and Jaroslav to produce a limited run (60) of the Trinity puzzle and I can categorically say that it is stunning! It arrived in pieces and the aim is to assemble the 3 identical notched pieces into a shape that entrap the 3 wooden posts. Pelikan has constructed this from a beautiful wood which has been smoothly turned and finished to enhance the grain. The puzzle pieces are a nice chunky size and finished so accurately that the corners are sharp (don't poke yourself with one).  I initially began looking for a way to assemble the 3 pieces whilst ignoring the trio of posts. 2 of the pieces fit together very nicely in a few ways but getting the third to make a nice shape and fit together proved slightly awkward. Eventually, I thought of a shape that looked like it should be nice but was blocked. Aha!!! This is a Coordinate motion puzzle - something that Pelikan do very well indeed (see here and here and here)! I worked out a nice movement that would assemble the required shape - it looks lovely...a sort of knot/trefoil.

Time to assemble it on the posts. Oh boy, this takes the difficulty level up a notch or two! Trying to make that sweet coordinate motion with the posts in the way and constraining positions proved rather awkward. The posts were positioned in just the right way so as to require the pieces to be held at an awkward angle and then moved in an even more awkward direction. I'm not sure about all of you but I don't have 3 hands and Mrs S absolutely refuses to help me solve puzzles by providing an extra hand. My initial attempts were not aided by balancing the construction on the back of a very mobile cat! After the second evening of trying and failing, I took it to the kitchen granite and worked there. FINALLY! It slid together in a very satisfying manner and looks fabulous! DON'T press the show/hide button until after you have solved your copy.

Trinity assembled in all its' glory

Top view of the Trefoil

The Trinity will be going on display on the desk - something Mrs S only allows for one or two of the most special puzzles!

YES! They made it right!

For all of you who bought the Petit Pack with the last release from Pelikan, you will all be aware that a mistake was made with the box. Once Jakub and Jaroslav had been made aware they were immediately anxious to make it right for all their customers and they have produced a replacement box to the same standards as all their other puzzles. The rear hole is the right size and perfect for you to reattempt to solve this wonderful puzzle.

Crystal Ring

Also in the upcoming release from Pelikan is another of those wonderfully simple-looking packing puzzles based on a 3x3x2 box cavity with an interesting entry shape. The Crystal Ring has been beautifully made and Jakub has assured me that the final shape has been checked thoroughly by Osanori-san himself. Pack the 3 pieces inside...easy peasy! Nope! It requires a 2.5.7 sequence to pack it correctly and involves a very nice little dance of the pieces around each other. The assembly is made tougher by the shape of the pentomino piece really restricting the placement of the other two pieces and is not helped by the fact that the other two are identical. When I tried my assemblies outside of the box it always felt like the tetrominoes should be mirror images to fit around the other piece. The final arrangement of the pieces is quite counterintuitive - the final assembly is very satisfying! Osanori-san and Pelikan definitely got it right this time - wonderful:

Nothing is given away here!

My absolute favourite from the upcoming releases from Pelikan is another by the amazing Osanori Yamamoto, Bisect Frame which is "just" a 2 piece burr in a rather fancy bisected frame:

Bisect Frame

Available in 3 different finishes, it is stunning. I got the Purpleheart and Maple version which makes a lovely contrast. My early play revealed the rather startling bisection of the frame which is beautifully hidden by the amazing craftsmanship by Pelikan. Moving pieces around revealed that there was going to be a really interesting exploration with several blind endings. I used my usual back and forth approach to ensure that I didn't lose track and explored as far as I could. At times the puzzle pieces start to rotate on each other which can add to the challenge of finding the next move and a few times it looked like a rotation might release a piece. In the end, it is only possible in one place to rotate out the pieces and this is just before the final disassembly point anyway. It took me 2 evenings to get my 4 pieces and another evening to work out how to put it back together. Making my customary Burrtools file was a pleasure as always.

Amazingly complex pieces!

I love framed burrs and this is a wonderful example. It is my favourite from this release batch although Trinity looks stunning on display and is a real challenge to assemble.

Also released (but not bought by me) is Peamaru by Volker Latussek, a challenging looking pattern assembly puzzle and the Harun puzzle also by him. This was recently sold out very quickly by Eric Fuller and was Allard's exchange puzzle at the recent IPP in Japan (where it was named Guillotine). My copy is less beautiful but very much appreciated as a gift from the main man himself.