Identical Twins

Interlocking puzzle by Osanori Yamamoto

Insert the two pieces into the frame, as shown in the photo.

This puzzle is an absolute gem. Two identical pieces and a very simple frame: how hard can it be? Turns out, harder than it looks! It takes just a few moves to get the pieces into their intended locations, but they are very tricky to find.

Identical Twins won the 2017 Puzzlers’ Award, one of the most prestigious puzzle awards in the world, and it’s easy to see why. It’s simple enough to be accessible to anyone, but tricky enough to provide a challenge even to experienced puzzle solvers. EVERYONE should try this puzzle – seriously!

Printing Instructions

Print one copy each of yamamoto.identical-twins.frame.stl and yamamoto.identical-twins.pieces.stl. For a contrasting effect as shown in the photos, print each STL file in a different color.

This puzzle uses snap joints so that the frame can be printed without supports. After you print it, first assemble the frame before attempting to solve the puzzle. Snap all four joints firmly into place.

The joints are designed to be tight, and depending on the printer and filament used, you may need to hammer them into place. If they come out too loose, a drop of superglue will make them more solid (in most cases this shouldn’t be necessary, but unfortunately tolerances vary across printers and filaments). The snap joint concept is discussed further in this blog post: Adventures in 3D Puzzle Printing.

The puzzle is modeled using puzzlecad, and I have included the .scad file in case you want to remix it.

About the Designer

Osanori Yamamoto is widely admired for his clever and inventive puzzle designs. His puzzles often look simple, but conceal unexpected twists such as unusual rotations. Yamamoto’s work has featured prominently in puzzle design competitions, and his gem Identical Twins won the Puzzlers’ Award at the 2017 International Puzzle Party in Paris, one of the most prestigious puzzle awards in the world.

Happy puzzling!

This article was first featured at https://ift.tt/2S1vsjx on February 5, 2020 at 07:55PM by asiegel