SengSo Mirror SQ-1

SengSo Mirror SQ-1

SengSo Mirror SQ-1 by ShengShou is a mirror version of the Square-1. All faces are the same color (blue in our offer), and the layers have different thicknesses. Colors give you no hints here, so you solve the puzzle by shape alone. When solved, it forms a cube with even faces. Once scrambled, it turns into a shape with protruding and recessed pieces.

How it differs from a regular Square-1

The mechanism and moves are the same as on a classic SQ-1: turns of the top and bottom layers plus the slice. If you can solve a Square-1, you already know all the algorithms. The challenge is recognizing the pieces. Instead of looking for colors, you have to look at the thickness of the layers, and in a scrambled shape it is easy to confuse similar pieces. The cubeshape step looks different here than on a regular SQ-1, because the puzzle does not look like a cube even when the shape is already done. That only changes once the pieces reach their correct positions.

Pieces within a single layer are the same size, so the mirror effect works on one axis only. This is not an off-axis version, where the shape changes in several directions at once.

Who is the Mirror SQ-1 for?

This puzzle makes sense if you have already mastered the Square-1 and want to practice the same puzzle in a different form. It also works well as another addition to a collection of shape mods, next to the Mirror Cube 3x3 and similar puzzles. It is not a puzzle for setting fast times. The Mirror SQ-1 is not a WCA event, and for training you are better off with a regular speedcubing Square-1. It is not suitable as a first puzzle either. Learn the standard SQ-1 first, because without knowing the method, the mirror version will simply be frustrating.

Specifications

• Manufacturer: ShengShou (SengSo)
• Type: Square-1, shape mod (mirror)
• Size: approx. 55 mm
• Weight: approx. 77 g
• Color: blue (single color)
• Solving: by shape, no colors