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This is the Cast Duet, one of many designs from Oskar van Deventer produced by Hanayama, for the Cast series. It was released together with the Cuby (another one from Oskar) in October 2005.

The puzzle is a 3x3 grid with grooves on every square and a ring, which is actually two rings that are bound together by magnets. Your task is to separate the ring in two and remove them from the grid, one at a time by moving them around the grooves, until you find the exit. The challenge is similar to the one found in the Cast Bike or the ABC Puzzle, where you have to follow a path full of grooves in order to solve them.

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This is probably the only Cast Puzzle, at least that I can think of, that has multiple challenges. It's great for replay value, as after you've accomplished the main task of removing the rings and return them to their original position, there are another four challenges, each harder than the last one. You'll notice around the four corners of the center square, small triangles with dots in them (1 through 4), indicating the level of difficulty. These challenges require that you place the rings, joined together, inside those particular square vertices. Below is a picture of the rings in the position number two, the only extra challenge that I solved so far.

The Cast Duet is rated by Hanayama at level 5 (out of 6) and PuzzleMaster at level 9 (out of 10), which is no surprise given the high level of difficulty of those harder challenges. The main challenge is somewhat easy enough to get the hang of it, but as you try the extra levels, you'll start to feel the frustration as you try to get the rings across the grid with no apparent result. Sometimes, you might get the rings in the right location, but with the wrong orientation, so you need to start over and try a different path.

Solution: Feeling trapped? Get the solution .pdf here. Alternatively, you can click here for a video solution.

Closing Comments:

The Cast Duet is among the most enjoyable puzzles by Hanayama. It's a great design by Oskar van Deventer, who always tries to get the most out of his puzzles. There's a level of difficulty that will suit anyone from a casual puzzler to an experienced puzzle buff. Definitely recommended...

The Cast Duet is available at PuzzleMaster for CAD $12.95.

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Links:

Hanayama's Factory Visit (Many thanks to Roxanne Wong for sharing these pictures)