Gifts for Puzzle Lovers Who Have Solved Everything

Buying for a puzzle lover has a built-in problem: they finish things. A puzzle that delights them on Christmas morning may be solved by lunchtime and then never touched again. And because they already own a shelf of puzzles, the obvious picks are probably on it.

So the best gifts for puzzle lovers are puzzles they will not have seen, made well enough to keep out once solved, and ideally ones they can pass to someone else. Here is a test for any idea: will it still be picked up a year from now — by them or by a visitor? Interlocking puzzles, puzzle boxes and wire puzzles pass, because they come apart and go back together. A one-time novelty does not.

For the pocket

A set of wire puzzles. Our eight metal wire puzzles run from easy to properly stubborn. A set beats a single one because it lasts: they will work through them over weeks, and keep the hardest one in a coat pocket for queues and waiting rooms. See how wire puzzles work.

A rope and ring puzzle. The wooden rope and ring puzzle is light and quiet, and it is the one they will hand round the table at the next family gathering.

For the desk

A Kong Ming lock ball. The wooden Kong Ming lock is a smooth wooden sphere made of interlocking sticks — beautiful when solved, a real challenge to rebuild from a heap. It earns its desk space as an object, not just a puzzle. The story behind it is in our Kong Ming lock guide.

A speed cube. Many puzzle people solved a cube once, years ago, on a cheap stiff one. A magnetic speed cube turns smoothly and invites them to learn it properly — or to get faster.

An impossible tray. The impossible tray puzzle is plain wood with no colours to help: the pieces fill the tray in one arrangement only. Made for the person who has solved everything else on the shelf.

For the table

A wooden jigsaw. For jigsaw lovers, a wooden puzzle with irregular, animal-shaped pieces is a step up from cardboard. Our elephant wooden jigsaw has no straight edges, which removes the usual frame-first method and makes them think again. See jigsaw puzzle tips.

A metal model kit. A puzzle that ends in a sculpture. The Flying Dutchman metal model kit folds flat metal sheets into a detailed ghost ship over several evenings.

The gift inside a puzzle

The most memorable present for a puzzle person is one they have to earn. Put a small gift — a watch, a ring, a note, a coin — inside a secret puzzle box with a hidden compartment and wrap the box. The box is the first gift and the thing inside is the second. More on how they work in puzzle boxes for adults.

What to avoid

Skip printed puzzle books unless you know their taste — they are personal, and many puzzle lovers have strong views on which kinds they enjoy. Skip anything with a light-up screen; a puzzle person usually wants something for their hands. And never include the solution in the box. If they ask for one, they will find it themselves.