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Given the way the title is presented and the fact that this puzzle is not a lock, you figure there is a good chance that this puzzle was designed by Andrew Crowell. And you would be right. And being designed by Andrew Crowell, you know it’s going to be great.
InsomniAC1 was Yacine Boucef’s exchange puzzle for IPP41. It is an apparent cube (or squat cube in this case) packing puzzle where all the openings need to be filled. The woods are not provided on the packaging but I would guess that the pieces are made with Wenge, Padauk, and Mahogany with a Maple box.
I found the assembly early on but that was the easy part. I’ve learned with these types of puzzles that if it looks like a good assembly and has a couple of good moves, it’s probably the one you are looking for. All you need to do now is discover the sneaky moves that are required to complete the insertion sequence.
This one was tough. Not only was the solution a challenge to find but the required rotations, were not simple to perform. This was exacerbated by the diminutive size of the puzzle. It’s not easy to manipulate the pieces through the opening and of course the pieces conspire against you by getting in each other’s way. And no, this is not one of those puzzles where when it’s solved, the first piece drops right out. Far from it.
Usually, I store these puzzles in the solved state so they take less room but for this one, I’m a little concerned that I may forget how to get the pieces out. I may store this one in an alternate configuration.
I recommend getting one if it becomes available. And if you have the opportunity to acquire a larger one – go for it!
I agree, too tiny!
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