Very Difficult Puzzles

It’s always difficult to give advice about what’s a hard puzzled and what’s not. Everyone, every puzzler, is different!  Some puzzlers really like Rubik’s cube type twisty puzzles, they might even be into speedcubing! and yet they can’t separate two pieces of a Hanayama puzzle that we might have given a rating of 5/10. They just don’t have any interest in doing it, or in that type of puzzle.

But we’ve been brave and tried to put some sort of relative rating on most puzzles.  Our difficulty rating system is explained here.

Brian says by way of explanation “I remember many years ago the first time I did a basic 6 piece burr from a disassembled state and it took me a little under a couple of hours to solve, understand and be able to do at will. This has become my benchmark and I call it 7/10. Fluking it and not being able to repeat does not count.  I grade puzzles up and down from that.”  Maybe not the most scientific way of arranging puzzles by difficult but we’ve not found any other system that is more accurate yet.

We’ve brought together puzzles from our Difficulty Ratings of 8 to 10 (out of 10). The page is intended as a general guide only and puzzles are not listed in order of difficulty, they are mostly grouped together by type and maker, but you can filter by a difficulty rating.

If the puzzler always seems to be able to solve any puzzle at will within minutes then you may want to give them puzzles that are very difficult. Yes. You want to give the person a challenge. But remember you don’t want to discourage them right away by buying a puzzle they’ll never have a chance of doing. So if you’re buying your first puzzle, or a first puzzle for someone else, perhaps this is not the page to start.

And don’t discard the easiest puzzles either. You can get just as much of that “Ah-Ha!” feeling from doing them too!

Here at Mr Puzzle we’ve made many of the hardest puzzles ourselves.  Brian is well known for his amazing Limited Edition puzzles, particularly his sequential discovery puzzles and the current offering of the SMS Box is no exception. He thinks it’s definitely the hardest puzzle he’s ever made and so do many of the puzzlers who bought it.

But also represented on the Very Difficult Puzzles category are puzzle makers from other puzzle categories. There are very high-level burrs by Bill Cutler, Junichi Yananose and Frans de Vreugd.  

Traditional puzzles get a mention on the very difficult puzzle page too. What could be harder than working out all the moves to remove the looped handle from the rings? We’ve been playing with it since the second century and not many of us have mastered it yet.

And a puzzle definitely does not have to cost a lot to be difficult. Mr Puzzle’s own Tricky Dick is a good example of a puzzle for under $20 that is diabolically hard for the price. 

Don’t forget though. Even if you can never do the puzzle it doesn’t mean it’s faulty. Just that you can’t do it. And most of our puzzles come with solutions so that if all else fails you can take a peak and get a hint, or go all out and solve it with the solution. There are a few notable exceptions where some puzzle makers like Wil Strijbos are philosophically opposed to providing a solution with his puzzles. And he certainly does make brilliant if challenging puzzles. But, of course, that’s his prerogative. Where no solution is provided with a puzzle we will always tell you that on the webpage.

The Secret To Becoming A Puzzle Master

No one wants to look silly doing a puzzle. We all want to look like Yusheng Du, who solved the Rubik’s Cube in 3.47 seconds. Unfortunately, we can’t all be puzzle prodigies. In fact, for most people, mastering difficult puzzles will take years of work, dedication, and practice. The team at Mr Puzzle know better than anyone the hard work it takes to become a puzzle master. We’re professionals at selling hard puzzles for adults in Australia, and Mr Puzzle himself, Brian Young, is an expert at designing incredibly difficult puzzles for adults. We’ve compiled a few tips, tricks, and secrets for you so you can realise your dreams of becoming a puzzle master.

Puzzles And Our Brains

The first you can do to become a puzzle-solving whizz is to learn how our brains work when we’re working out solutions. Here are some exciting things going on inside your mind when you do puzzles.

• Your brain is working differently. When we do the same thing every day, our brains develop these kinds of neural highways. The tasks we’re doing don’t change, so the brain doesn’t have to think about it too much. When the brain encounters difficult puzzles for adults, on the other hand, it has to do things differently, so more areas of the brain are engaged to solve the problem.
• Various puzzles use different parts of the brain. No two puzzles are the same, so your mind will use different areas to solve each one! Linguistic puzzles like crosswords will use language centres of the brain. In contrast, the hard puzzles for adults from Mr Puzzle will use the areas of your brain responsible for reasoning, pattern recognition, and insight.
• The brain is a muscle. You need to challenge your brain every single day if you want to be better at problem-solving. Like any other muscle, the brain will slowly become better at puzzles the more you work on them. You’ll develop dramatically in logical reasoning, memory, and creativity.
• When you solve puzzles, you feel terrific. When you make the last move, and everything clicks into place, your brain releases dopamine which makes you feel incredibly happy. The dopamine rush also improves your confidence, self-esteem, and willingness to challenge yourself with another puzzle.

The Hardest Puzzles You Can Buy From Mr Puzzle

Once you start doing puzzles, you’ll be surprised at how quickly problem-solving becomes second nature to you. Very soon, you’ll be looking for the next challenge, and we’re pleased to tell you that there are quite literally thousands of unique, ingenious difficult puzzles for adults available for sale through Mr Puzzle. Here are a few of the most difficult puzzles you can buy from Mr Puzzle’s online store.

• Gordian’s Knot. Legend says that oracles foretold that whoever solved the Gordian Knot would rule the world. It went unsolved for 400 years until Alexander the Great succeeded. The solution book for this puzzle has a whopping 69 pages, and it will take a lot of patience, commitment, and determination to solve.
• Holey 6 Board Burr II. This puzzle has 2483 false assemblies and only one correct solution. It comes disassembled, and the goal is simply to put it together correctly. Designed by the iconic Junichi Yananose, this puzzle will surely leave you feeling challenged.
• Lotus Sequential Discovery Puzzle. If you’re looking for difficult puzzles in Australia, you can’t go past this one. Wil Strijbos designed this puzzle to be the gift that keeps on giving. Every time you think you’re done, there’s more to unpack and uncover. Mr Puzzle is frequently out of stock of this item, so contact us to be put on a waiting list.
• Danlock by Dan Feldman. Every puzzle collector worth their salt has a traditional puzzle padlock in their collection. This particular padlock puzzle is one of the very best, most difficult puzzles for adults. We love it, and we think you will too.

Mr Puzzle’s Top Tips For Becoming A Puzzle Master

It can take years of practice to be exceptional at puzzle-solving, but the team at Mr Puzzle have a few tips to get you on the right path.

• Take your time. Make sure you look at the puzzle critically after each move and go slowly. If you need to put it down and walk away for a while, do it. You need to make sure you’re in the right mindset whenever you attempt your hard puzzles for adults. You’re never going to solve puzzles if you force yourself!
• Look into the basics of puzzle design. There is no better way to understand a puzzle than to know how its creator would think. If you look at the patterns and logic behind puzzle design, you’ll be able to understand the solutions far better.
• Chat with the experts. There is a broad, friendly community of people who have devoted their lives to puzzles, and they love sharing their knowledge with like-minded people. The team at Mr Puzzle are always willing to chat with aspiring puzzle masters and trade tips and tricks.
• Don’t give up. Whatever you do, don’t throw in the towel! Keep trying, and eventually, you’ll get it. If you need to, look at the solutions book for your first attempt and then try to get it yourself on the second go. Don’t be too hard on yourself. After all, we’re all always learning!

To Buy Puzzles For Adults in Australia, Mr Puzzle Is Your Go-To Shop

At Mr Puzzle, we’ve been designing and selling puzzles since 1992, and we’ve been online longer than Google. Since 1998, we’ve been selling our range of challenging puzzles to collectors and problem-solvers internationally. At Mr Puzzle, you are guaranteed to receive high-quality puzzles, premium customer service, and unparalleled knowledge of all things puzzle-related. If you’re looking for puzzles for adults in Australia, make sure you check out Mr Puzzle’s online store today.