Ahhh, the Minima Series. These puzzles seem to have taken the puzzle community by storm. I don’t know how many Minima puzzles there are at this point. Originally, there were 12 designed by Frederic Boucher, but since then they seem to be popping up everywhere with many designers creating new “minima” puzzles.
What is a Minima Puzzle? Well, someone more knowledgeable than me can chime in here, but what I notice is that they are all small packing puzzles, with 12 voxels of space and a 2x2x3 configuration. The unique thing about them all is the strategic placement of “windows” in the boxes that allow for creative rotations and manipulations. They also utilize restricted entryways, which further complicates the packing process.
I think ultimately, they are minimal in nature. There are not many pieces and the box is small and simple. At first glance, one might assume these are easy, or if not easy, then they are at least simple. But, my friend, such thoughts are incorrect. Although simple in appearance, each one holds a unique solution and a unique ah-ha moment (AHM).
They are challenging, yet approachable, and are (to me) very satisfying. Sometimes, I can solve them quickly, sometimes, they take days or weeks. The ones that are easy for me may be difficult for you and vise versa. After working my way through dozens of these puzzles, I’m now fully addicted and will buy any I see without hesitation.
Today, I will look at M1. I have previously solved this one, but I’ve taken it apart and will resolve it and provide my thoughts.
This one looks simple (Ha!) Only 3 pieces and a box. The unique thing I notice right away is that the cutouts, or windows in the box have some unusual placements. Typically these windows are inline with where the pieces are, on this puzzle, though, 2 of the windows are centered. So, we shall have to find out why.
Ok, well the box holds 12 voxels, but the 3 pieces combine for only 11, so obviously there will be one empty voxel inside the puzzle. With these minima puzzles, when there is a missing voxel, it must be hidden so that you cannot tell it is there when the puzzle is complete. In other words, all the windows must be full.
Since I’ve solved this before (along with dozens of other minima puzzles) the solution comes easy to me. That’s not to say it’s easy. It’s just that the more of these you solve, the more you know what to look for and they just become a little easier to figure out.
The pieces on this one give away some clues. There is one L shaped piece that is 3 voxels long. Because of this, that piece can only fit lengthwise into the box. There are a couple of orientations it could be placed in, but then when you consider the centered windows on the box, it is clear they are in place so this L shaped piece can be rotated. This further narrows down the possibilities. And this is maybe why I like these so much. Most of them can be reasoned out. If you incorporate logic into the thought process, you can narrow down the options and usually it just comes down to a matter of getting one particular piece oriented in one particular way and once that happens, the puzzle is solved.
M1 is a good entry into this family of puzzles. In particular there is one move that doesn’t seem possible, which may throw you for a loop, but once you discover it, you unlock that ability which can then be used on any subsequent minima puzzle. And that is also why these are fun. You learn as you go and those lessons are required to keep progressing.
