QiYi XiangYun Puzzle 4pcs

QiYi XiangYun Puzzle 4pcs

QiYi XiangYun Puzzle 4pcs is a flat puzzle in which you have to fit all four pieces inside a tray. The walls of the tray have carved shapes, and they determine how the pieces can fit against them. Nothing turns here, and you don't need to know any algorithms. The whole challenge is to find the one arrangement in which everything fits.

What's the challenge?

Four pieces sound like a job for a few seconds, but with this puzzle that's an illusion. The pieces have irregular shapes, with no straight edges or corners, which is where you would usually start a jigsaw puzzle. So you need to match the bumps and notches of the pieces to the profile of the tray walls and to each other. It often seems that the arrangement is almost right, yet the last piece still won't go in. At that point, the only thing that helps is rearranging the other pieces, not pressing harder.

There's no timing and no competition, as there is with cubes. It's a calm logic and spatial puzzle that's easy to come back to: just tip out the pieces and start again.

Build and size

The puzzle is approx. 140 mm wide and just under a centimetre thick, so it fits on a desk, on a shelf or in a backpack. It weighs approx. 109 g. The version available is Silver.

Who is it for?

For people who enjoy Klotski+ puzzles and other puzzles where spatial imagination counts more than finger speed. Thanks to its simple rules, it's a good choice for a child or a gift for someone who doesn't solve cubes. A cuber can also treat it as a break from 3x3. For experienced puzzle fans looking for multi-stage challenges, four pieces may not last long.

Specifications

• Manufacturer: QiYi
• Type: flat puzzle, 4 pieces and a tray with profiled walls
• Size: approx. 140 mm (13.87 x 13.87 cm)
• Thickness: approx. 0.63 cm
• Weight: approx. 109 g
• Colour: Silver