Proteus
Designer: Stéphane Chomine
This puzzle measures: 72 mm x 60 mm x 60 mm
Material: Purpleheart and American Walnut
Moves: 29 (20.3.3.3)
Kevin Sadler wrote about it:
“Proteus is absolutely gorgeous in Walnut and Purpleheart and at first sight looks like a simple 2 piece burr in a ring puzzle and I am ashamed to say that it took me quite some time (3 days!) to dismantle it. At first the 2 burr sticks move aside nicely and then stop. Nothing further is possible – at that point I made the delightful discovery that there are actually 4 burr sticks – the visible ones are 5 voxels high and within their shelter are another pair just 2 voxels high. Having discovered this I was able to explore how to separate them. I got another 7 moves and again hit a wall! I couldn't go any further. Back and forth I went trying to find a move for 2 days. Eventually I found a beautifully hidden move and could continue my passage. Once this had
been discovered a lovely dance of the inner and outer pieces ensued and it came apart. The reassembly is just as much fun and just as good a challenge as the disassembly – it can definitely be done with some thought, exploration and a little memory. It looks so simple in the design but is actually a wonderful challenge due to the hidden nature of a couple of moves.”