Cast Coaster

A week or so after trying Cast Ring, I was back at Eureka looking for another puzzle. Since I had a good time with Cast Ring, I decided to try Cast Coaster next. This was also the last level four Hanayama that I didn't have.

Cast Coaster, designed by Serhiy Grabarchuk,  is similar to Cast Ring in that it is not possible to completely disassemble the pieces. There are three rings that are interlocked, and the task is to disassemble the rings (trivial), and put them back together so that it all lies flat. Though it is flat like a coaster when solved, it probably wouldn't make a good coaster unless your glasses have wide flat bottoms, because there is a hole in the center that could cause tipping.

It was a Friday, which is the night I usually go swing dancing with my girlfriend, so I only had a few minutes to work on the puzzle before we had to leave for the dance. I decided to throw it in my backpack just in case. In case of what? Good question.

We got to the dance and it was a lot of fun, but in the back of my mind I knew that puzzle was sitting there in my backpack unsolved. My feet were getting tired, so I decided to stop dancing just for a minute to go see if I could finish the puzzle.

I sat down in the walk-in coat closet and worked on it for about 15 minutes, I'm sure the people who saw me sitting there as they came in to get their coats must have thought I was nuts. Eventually I figured it out, which was quite satisfying because of the way the pieces all snap into place when you have them aligned correctly. Unlike Cast Ring, this one does not fall apart easily because it fits tightly which I liked.

This puzzle is only moderately difficult, as one would expect from a level 4/6, but it definitely does make you think. Like Cast Ring, it is not one that you are likely to solve by chance.

Tomorrow, I'll write about a little twisty puzzle spending spree!