Design Tricks

Puzzle makers possess an impressive arsenal of tricks to transform even a seemingly simple 100 or 200-piece puzzle into hours of engaging entertainment. For those who enjoy made-to-order puzzles, you can even dictate the difficulty by choosing specific border styles and incorporating various cutting deceptions. These clever techniques, alongside personal strategies employed by master puzzlers, elevate the challenge and extend the enjoyment.

Common Puzzle-Cutting Tricks

• Wavy Border: This trick eliminates the reliable straight edges that typically define the puzzle's frame. A wavy border makes identifying and assembling the perimeter pieces significantly more challenging.

• Flat Sides on Inner Pieces: Imagine regular, internal puzzle pieces that feature one or more flat sides. These flat-sided inner pieces can confuse yoy, as they mimic border pieces. Compounding the difficulty, they often don't interlock securely, making them prone to displacement during assembly.

• Split Corners: The designer might deliberately split a corner piece into two separate pieces right at the corner's apex. These two fragmented pieces can easily be mistaken for regular border pieces, adding a layer of deception to the initial framing process.

• Inner Corners: Similar to split corners, some inner pieces are cut to feature what appears to be a corner, leading puzzlers to mistakenly identify them as actual edge or corner pieces when they belong within the puzzle's interior.

• Non-Interlocking Edge Pieces: These are border pieces that, unusually, do not interlock directly with each other. Instead, they simply touch side-by-side, requiring a third, internal piece to lock them together. This significantly complicates the border assembly, as the immediate connection isn't obvious.

• Color-Line Cutting: This subtle yet effective trick involves making the puzzle cuts precisely along the line where two distinct colors meet. For instance, a piece of fully blue sky might connect to a piece of entirely green leaf. This forces the puzzler to rely solely on the piece's shape for identification, as there are no tell-tale flecks of one color on the other to provide a visual clue.

• Stack Cutting / Double Cutting: Primarily used in wooden puzzles, stack cutting involves cutting through two (or more) layers of wood simultaneously, resulting in multiple pieces that are identical in shape. This means the puzzler must rely entirely on the image on the piece, not its shape, to determine its correct placement.

Final Thoughts

As you navigate your next puzzle challenge, remember these clever designs. They highlight the artistry and dedication used in making these beloved pastimes, converting a simple activity into a truly engaging mental workout.