Maze Burr (2006) by Kagen Schaefer / Tom Lensch

Maze Burr (2006) by Kagen Schaefer / Tom Lensch

In superb condition, this puzzle is almost 20 years old.  A rare and excellent display of Tom's craftsmanship, Maze Burr is a Kagen Schaefer design declared "Puzzle of the Year" and winner of both the People's Choice and Grand Prize Awards at the 2006 IPP Puzzle Design Competition..  Zoom in on the second picture, you can see the internal compartment along with the complex interplay between all pieces, all finished buttery smooth and branded with Tom's logo.

Handmade and expertly crafted from twelve East Indian Rosewood cage burr pieces, six Makore planks, and twelve Maple maze plates.  The burr cage completely disassembles, creating an additional layer of puzzling for hardcore enthusiasts.  Kagen wrote about the design: "The Maze Burr disassembles like a cage burr puzzle, and has 12 sliding plates surrounding it to keep it locked shut. You will have to traverse a sequence of moves based on the arrangement of the six plates surrounding the cage to unlock it. Then it is possible to reassemble the puzzle with a different sequence. These sequences or solutions can be anywhere between 116 to 4 moves to unlock. A very difficult 113 move solution still has me completely stumped. A computer program was written just to generate the various solutions. There are thousands of variations. Many are yet to be discovered"

This is the REAL DEAL folks - the maze burr has been produced in at least two different styles over the years - this original version crafted by Tom which features 30 puzzle problems, and a later 2011 version crafted by Kagen in cocobolo which features only 27 problems.  One plate is made with a spring loaded brass pin in this version, which greatly eases resetting from a stuck position or changing plate configurations to an easier or more difficult setting.

This version of the puzzle is very rare; it has not come up for auction in 10 years.  Puzzle will come assembled as shown with extra plates in 4th picture.

Shipping by USPS, payment via Zelle, check or money order.  If you have any questions, please ask them before bidding. :-)   See all active listings here: metagrobology : the study of puzzles