ZigZag - Quick Summary
ZigZag is the first separated board burr ever built, designed by Frans de Vreugd in 2002 from an idea by Jim Gooch. Six flat boards, level 7.8: seven moves to split the puzzle into two identical halves, then eight more to free a board from each half. Hard difficulty, 1-4 hour solve time. Ships disassembled.
Best for: burr collectors who want the puzzle that started a whole family of designs, and solvers stepping up from standard six-piece burrs into board burrs for the first time.
It Started With One Sentence
A standard six board burr has six flat pieces grouped in three pairs. Jim Gooch, a puzzle maker from Oregon, suggested to Frans de Vreugd that you could pull the two boards in each pair one unit apart and see what happened. The shape that came back was more open, with far more room for complicated movement, and nobody knew whether a working set of pieces even existed.
De Vreugd spent a full day on it. Hundreds of combinations came apart into nothing. Then he tried two zigzag-shaped boards, and this puzzle fell out of it. George Miller had a small run made within days, and it was introduced at the fifth Gathering for Gardner in Atlanta.
Seven Moves, Then It Splits
The piece set is completely symmetrical, and so is the solution. Seven moves in, the whole lattice comes apart into two identical halves. Then you need another eight to get a board out of each half.
That symmetry is why ZigZag is the right place to start with this family. There is a logic you can actually see once you find it, which is not something you can say about Torture or Extreme Torture. It is also not the only way through - there is a shorter route and a couple of longer ones - so the puzzle forgives you a little.
Ours is printed in two colours, which makes it much easier to keep track of which board you just moved.
It Arrives in Pieces
Six loose boards, no solved reference to copy and no photograph to work backwards from. Assembly is the puzzle. Handing it over already built would remove the point of it.
If you already know you want the whole family, ZigZag, Torture and Extreme Torture are sold together as the Separated Board Burr Set.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a separated board burr?
A standard six board burr has six flat pieces in three pairs. In a separated board burr the two boards in each pair sit one unit apart instead of flush together. The gap opens the shape up and leaves room for far longer move sequences. Jim Gooch suggested the idea in 2002, Frans de Vreugd designed the puzzles that came out of it.
How hard is ZigZag?
Hard, not Expert. Seven moves to split it and eight more after that, with a symmetry you can lean on. It is the gentlest of de Vreugd's three separated board burrs, and the one to own first.
Does ZigZag arrive assembled?
No. It ships as six separate boards. Assembling it is the challenge.
Who designed ZigZag?
Frans de Vreugd, in 2002, from a suggestion by Jim Gooch. The original run was made by George Miller for the fifth Gathering for Gardner.
