גְבִיָה: Andreas Röver

Andreas Röver occupies an unusual position in mechanical puzzles: he wrote the software the rest of the field designs with.

The Man Behind BurrTools

BurrTools is the program puzzle designers reach for when they need to know whether an idea actually works. Feed it a set of pieces and it will tell you whether they assemble, how many solutions exist, and how many moves the disassembly takes. Cubes, prisms, spheres, tetrahedra - it handles the geometry that defeats pencil and paper.

Röver wrote it, and then used it to design puzzles of his own. The approach is deliberate: start with a basic shape, add units, and let the software search for the arrangement that makes the result as difficult as possible. The puzzles that come out the other side are not lucky accidents. They are the hardest configurations their geometry allows.

Microma - IPP Exchange 2026

Microma was Röver's exchange puzzle at the 2026 International Puzzle Party in Assisi, an international gathering of a closed circle of puzzle collectors where brand-new puzzles are introduced and exchanged.

It is a 3D dynamic packing puzzle. Pack every piece into the box, rotations allowed, and leave the pieces themselves intact. Three pieces and a box does not sound like much. It is much harder than it looks - which is exactly what you would expect from someone who built a machine to find the hardest version of anything.

What to Expect

Röver's designs reward patience over force. There is no move that works because you pushed harder, and no solution you stumble into. The difficulty is structural, searched for and confirmed before the puzzle was ever printed.

Every puzzle in this collection is 3D-printed in plastic and hand-picked by Greg.