July 30th, 2010 by

“Tavern Puzzles” is an informal name for a disentanglement puzzle. This is really a kind of mechanical puzzle that involves disentangling a piece from another piece or a set of pieces from one another. (A mechanical puzzle is one that’s presented like a set of physically interlinked pieces.) They’re known as “tavern puzzles” because legend has it that blacksmiths used to forge them to amuse their friends at local inns.

As a disentanglement puzzle, tavern puzzles don’t rely on force for their solution – nor, for that matter, any trickery in their design. They have traditionally been regarded as educational as well as casual pastimes because the problem-solving skills needed for the most hard examples are believed to exercise and enhance the mind. Actually, restoring the puzzle back to its original state can be as tough or even harder than disentangling it in the first place!

These generally mind-boggling puzzles aren’t outdoor toys as such in the manner of something like stunt kites, but they used to be quite common companions nonetheless on occasions ranging from long journeys to nearby picnics. Today’s tavern puzzles are curiosities which are nowhere near as popular as they once were, but make great gifts for their novelty and winsome simplicity. Or perhaps more accurately seeming simplicity, for one of the reasons why they can be very addictive is the very fact that they look rather straightforward at first glance!

These brain teasers are often constructed of metal, though some designs will make use of rope. While a niche interest nowadays, a lively little cottage industry has grown around their creation and promotion, with such accessories as stands and hanging carousels for displaying them. Indeed, all tavern puzzles bear interesting geometric designs that make them as much art as games, and several museums, particularly those dedicated to folk crafts, prominently display some of the finest examples.