Cast Chess - Bishop

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With half the Cast Chess puzzles already reviewed, it's safe to say that this is becoming my favorite Hanayama series. The Bishop is my latest acquisition, and I absolutely love it. Each of the six puzzles is unique in its design and mechanism, and that's exactly what gets me excited whenever I try another one. My only disappointment so far is that there's only six of them and I'll soon have tried them all. These puzzles were all designed by the French Marcel Gillen.

The Bishop is just as impressive as any other in the Cast Chess series. It's made with polished and shiny metal, which makes it look like a piece from an expensive set of chess, except this one is just a puzzle - A gorgeous puzzle at that.

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From what I experienced so far, the Bishop has the most elegant solution. The top of the piece has a pin attached to a spring, which of course is part of the solution, but I won't give it away. You still have to find out how that pin works with the rest of the mechanism, and it's not as easy as you'd expect. However, when it comes to hidden mechanisms, you shouldn't expect an easy puzzle anyway. There's always something that will surprise you...in a good way.

As far as difficulty goes, the Bishop is the most challenging Cast Chess puzzle I tried so far (I have 4). Even though that pin gives part of the solution away, it's still difficult to work out how it relates to the locking mechanism. The base of the puzzle rotates, but the effect is useless on it own. When you finally solve it, it gives you a rewarding and satisfying feeling that only hidden mechanism puzzles can give you.

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Solution: To download the solution, click here.

Closing Comments:

What can I say? Hanayama never ceases to amaze me. With each puzzle I try from the Cast Chess series, I become more excited for the next. The Bishop has exceed my expectations and it's equally as wonderful as any of the others in this special Hanayama collection.

Availability: The Cast Chess Bishop is available at PuzzleMaster, as well as all the others from the Cast Chess series.