(Click to Enlarge)

These two puzzle are very similar in design, and even though the king is comprised of 9 pieces (the queen has 7), they both share the same difficulty, which is close to unchallenging. The king is also a bit taller than the queen, measuring about 19.5cm in height (7.6"). This type of puzzle is very simple: The pieces are linked together sort of like a classic jigsaw puzzle, and the goal is to take them apart and reassemble it.

As mentioned in the previous review, these puzzles are part of a series of six chess pieces, manufactured by Bits and Pieces and made from Chinese Rosewood. I've already said quite a lot about Bits and Pieces quality standards, so you won't read nothing new. The build quality of the puzzle is subpar, to say the least, and despite being a little better than the queen, there's still plenty of room for improvement. I know the puzzles are handcrafted, but unless they were made by an apprentice, there's no excuse for the sloppiness in the cuts and lack of polish. Just take any of the Vinco's puzzles and you'll see what a great handcrafted puzzle should look like.

PuzzleMaster rates the Chess King as a level 7/10, but as I've mentioned above, there's not much of a challenge here - This is a mere 5/10 puzzle. I actually have solved harder 5/10 puzzles in the past. The puzzle is designed in such a way that you'll be taking it apart from top to bottom and reassembling it the opposite way. When getting the puzzle back to its original form, the only thing that seems to be a little harder is figuring out which end do the pieces slide into place, as there's just one possible way to do this.

Closing Comments:

Being an easy puzzle, it doesn't mean you can't have fun with it, though. The concept is interesting enough to give it a try, and although it'll keep you busy for just a couple of minutes, at least you'll have a very original decorative desk object in the end. If you're a puzzle collector, I'm sure you're gonna love to own the full set of chess pieces.

Availability: The "Chess 3D Jigsaw - King" came from PuzzleMaster and it's available from $13 CAD. Click here to check out the others in the set.