Are you still puzzled by the Puzzle Of Life magic trick aka Miracle Puzzle?
How is it that with the two additional puzzle pieces, yet the the frame could fix within the wooden jigsaw puzzle set.
Back in 2015, the then-celebrated German illusionist Jan Rouven performed this trick during his stints in Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas.
It is a simple trick, no sleight of hand skill required, just the art of presenting the act convincingly.
I would explain the secret together with relevant picture, video snippets and the psychology behind this puzzling trick.
Welcome to another post of the Info Ruckus Magic Trick Secrets Revealed series.
Where I answer the popular question: how are magic tricks done?
How magic tricks work, or what is the secret behind magic tricks?
The magicians refer to it as the method; the secret technique uses to create the illusion of a magical effect.
NOTE: This stage puzzle trick is different from the plexiglass “Perpetual Puzzle” by Tenyo Magic.
Perpetual Puzzle Explained
The method of the effect is different, and this Tenyo magic is a puzzle, and not a magic trick.
It comes with a 5-piece pink color plexiglass jigsaw puzzle fit snugly inside a frame.
The idea is similar to the Puzzle Of Life, where by adding two additional pieces, yet it can still arrange perfectly within the frame.
Watch this video how this Tenyo Perpetual Puzzle is resolved.
By the way, this Tenyo Perpetual Puzzle is a adaptation of “Winston Freer Tile Puzzle” by Winston Freer.
Puzzle Of Life Magic Trick Secret Explained
Before we find out the method of the trick, let’s check out its effect.
Effect:
The magician introduces a 9-piece wooden jigsaw puzzle that fits perfectly into a frame, displayed on a stand.
Then he lifts the frame off from the set of puzzle set, and places it aside.
As he begins talking about each puzzle piece represents our dreams, desires and memories, he removes some of them from the stand.
After having taking out four or five puzzle pieces, he reassembles them back on display stand.
Next he introduces an extra piece and it somehow fits into the jigsaw puzzle on the board.
Again he produces another wooden block and it also interlock perfectly into the puzzle set.
In other words, with two extra pieces, now it is an enlarged puzzle set.
But mysteriously when he put back the frame around the apparently larger jigsaw puzzle set, it can still fit in completely.
Watch Ottawa magician Kevin Smith performs the Puzzle Of Life magic trick:
So, how can the frame still fit into the supposedly expanded jigsaw puzzle set?
When I first viewed the demo videos, these two possible options come to mind
- Enlarge the the wooden frame
- Remove one of the original puzzle pieces.
The two extra pieces would replace the space of the discarded piece.
If we watch this Puzzle Of Life trick live on stage just once, probably it is difficult to speculate its secret right away.
Firstly is because, we do not know what the whole routine is all about, until the finale.
By that time you would have missed or forgotten the number of pieces (start & end) on the display board.
After a couple of viewings Kevin Smith and the other video clips, I think this is how the Puzzle Of Life stage illusion is done.
Puzzle Of Life Magic Trick One Piece Missing
At the beginning, like all the other performers, Kevin Smith has nine (9) jigsaw puzzle pieces on the board.
He removes five (5) pieces and stacked them in his left hand, and the balance of four (4) pieces on the board.
But when Kevin reassembles the five pieces back onto the board, he places only four (4) pieces.
Hence, there are only eight (8) pieces on the board, instead of the original nine (9) pieces, as of 1:43.
Meaning, one (1) piece is missing from the five pieces in his left hand.
Therefore Kevin must have ditched one of the wooden puzzle pieces.
Let’s explore when and how Kevin and the other magicians get rid of that one wooden piece.
Ditch Third Puzzle Of Life Piece
From my observations, most if not all the magicians dispose the third piece, which they have picked up from the display board.
At 1:13 Kevin Smith removes the third piece from the board and places it on top of the two blocks in his left hand, as indicate in the picture below.
At 1:33 when he lifts up the fourth piece from the stack in his hand, there are only two pieces left (first & second), as shown in the picture below.
So where does the missing third piece go to?
Cut-Out Hole Underneath Fourth Piece
When he places the bigger fourth piece over the stack of wooden blocks in his left hand.
Watch closely at this short sequence from 1:16.
Observe how Kevin Smith places the fourth piece over the pile of puzzle pieces in his left hand.
He cups and presses the larger fourth block over the three pieces.
This is the close-up view of his hands when he places the larger fourth piece over the third piece.
As I have shown above, at 1:33 when he lifts up the fourth piece from the stack in his hand, only the first two pieces are still there.
From there I knew the third piece has been buried inside the bigger fourth piece, so to speak.
The missing third puzzle piece is now hidden underneath the larger fourth piece.
There is a cut-out opening at the back side of the fourth wooden block.
This missing third puzzle piece is magnetically sticks inside the cut-out hole of the fourth piece.
In short, the fourth puzzle block picks up the third rectangular piece.
NOTE: This is just a rough illustration. I do own or have seen the actual prop, so the cut-out hole design, positioning and its specifications are just my assumptions.
But basically this is how they ditch or dispose of the puzzle piece.
This particular bigger wooden puzzle block is the one with a hidden opening underneath.
Shell Gimmick Tricks & Props
This method of ditching the wooden block inside another piece is similar to many other tricks that use a shell or half spherical shell gimmick.
They are used for producing or vanishing coins, dice (Tenyo Crash Dice), blocks (ABC Blocks), billiard balls, or bottles and glass (Passe Passe Bottles trick).
This old magic trick is also found in Modern Magic by Professor Hoffmann.
Missing Puzzle Piece Lower Height
Logically, for the bigger block to store the piece inside it, either the the height of the former is slightly higher, and/or the latter is a bit lower.
I think that particular rectangular piece is somewhat thinner or lower in height.
While the the bigger piece with the cut-out hole could be a little thicker or higher in height.
Puzzle Of Life Trick Pieces Different Thickness
I believe the thickness or height of the complete puzzle set is not evenly levelled throughout.
No one would notice or realize this slight discrepancy.
Anyway, it is a magical prop, so the Puzzle Of Life wooden pieces need not have to be perfectly even.
Two Extra Pieces Puzzle Of Life Trick
If this is how the trick works, the length of the two extra puzzle pieces when added up show be equal to the missing third piece.
Below is a composite picture of the two additional pieces together to show it matches the missing third puzzle piece.
The final wooden puzzle on the board (9-1+2), should have ten pieces (10) as seen below.
Now let’s look at some of the performers ditching the the third wooden puzzle piece.
Jan Rouven
At 1:48, Jan Rouven covers and drags the fourth block over the third piece in his left hand.
This is how he gets the third piece puzzle magnetically lodged inside the cut-out under the larger fourth piece.
With one piece hidden under another wooden block, now there are only eight (8) pieces left.
Kamyléon
Watch how French illusionist Kamyléon set down the fourth block over the stack of puzzle pieces at 0:38 to ditch the third piece.
The magnet inside the cut-out hole would pull in the third piece that also comes with a magnet.
With one piece taken out, that is why when he reconstructs it back on the board, there are only eight (8) pieces.
David Goldrake
This is how David Goldrake aka the ’International Man of Mystery’ slaps the larger fourth piece the three pieces in his hand at 0:47.
Probably this how the cut-out hole under the fourth block looks like, that magnetically pulls up the third piece puzzle.
Just like Jan and Kamyléon, when reassembles the wooden puzzle, there are only eight (8) pieces on the board.
He also starts out with the nine-piece puzzle on the upright board.
Yes, one piece is definitely missing from the puzzle set.
Likewise, this going-to-be discarded piece is also marginally lower than the other puzzle pieces.
Simon Pierro
Here is German magician Simon Pierro aka iPad Magician at 1:08 when he slots the fourth block over the third piece.
Probably the black line under the third piece is the magnet that help to stick to the cut-out hole.
This close up shot when he picks up the third piece with the larger fourth block.
He removes five (5) pieces, but at 1:14 when Simon Pierro replaces them back there are only four (4) pieces.
Ehrlich Brothers
Now observe Andreas Ehrlich of the Ehrlich Brothers performing the Puzzle des Lebens (Puzzle Of Life).
At 2:37, Andreas Ehrlich uses the larger piece to steal away the third piece in his left hand.
I reckon this is where the cut-out hole that hides the third wooden puzzle piece.
This is the third rectangular piece before it disappears.
Now you can see it has vanish from the stack his hand.
At the end of the act, again like all the other Puzzle Of Life trick videos, there are ten (10) pieces on the board!
To conclude, I believe this is how the Puzzle Of Life trick is done.
By using a gimmick block to sneak away one of the other jigsaw puzzle pieces.
Psychology Of Puzzle Of Life Magic Trick
The puzzling magic trick uses misdirection to manipulate your attention.
The key misdirection is the grandiose patter about the story of life.
Patter is what a magician says when performing a trick.
The audience get carry away by the dramatic story telling, that they do not notice what he is up to.
In fact he has already completed his secret move, by the time he returns the four or five pieces back on the board.
This kind of misdirection is by drawing the audience’s attention to his prattling, while concealing the method behind the trick.
In other words, he is distracting them from what he is doing with his hands.
The other misdirection is by shifting the jigsaw puzzle pieces all over the board, and introducing two more extra pieces.
This can further confuses the audience’s cognitive and memory.