The
International Puzzle Party is a gathering of puzzle aficionados that
takes place somewhere in the world every year.
This time it was held in San Francisco with about 400 attendees.
Many of the folks who come design and build puzzles so there is always
a competition to see which is the best.
The entries are available for anyone to try to solve and then there is
a vote to determine the best.
Here are some of the puzzles and puzzled puzzlers working on solutions
(or maybe not).
Here are all the entries on one table.
In other rooms were displays of puzzles and a huge cube with constantly
changing patterns of light.
One of the highlights is the Puzzle Exchange.
New and antique puzzles were available.
Buy or trade for ones that you saw that intrigued you.
Here are a couple we bought.
And one set that I would have liked to buy but it was way out of my
price range.
One of the events was a trip to an art museum that featured a display
of puzzles.
This maze near the entrance led to the main display.
Several complex puzzle sculptures by Berrocal..
Many of the others on display were by people we had met at the party.
These two were by George Hart. A friend from New York.
Two of these look like his work as well.
3D printing can make some wild structures that serve both as art and as
illustrations of mathematical forms.
Some antique puzzles too.
Also on display were these graphics by M C Escher. Puzzling
in one way or another.
We were invited to the home of Jerry Slocum who has one of the
largest puzzle collections in the world.
He also has a bocce court behind his house.
Other tours as part of the IPP can be seen on the San Francisco page.