Sokoban lessons - Seven boxes (with rooms)

As in other Sokoban lessons, in this selection of puzzles of seven boxes (with rooms), I tried to choose levels fun to solve, and that the most of authors will be represented.

An author highlights in a special way: Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha). All its levels of seven boxes are excellent, small jewels.

See also "Lines (5-8 boxes)".

With regard to the concept of "room", see the explanation in "Sokoban lessons - Three boxes (with rooms)".

You can download all puzzles (except commercial) here:

• Seven boxes (with rooms)

Author: Takahiro Suzushima
Title: Soukoban (Riverhill Soft, Game Gear) #256
Date: December 1990. Published later in Sokoban Revenge (1991) #40 Relaxation
Difficulty: 5
Best moves/pushes: 540/189

Beautiful level with three columns and storage area.

Author: monry
Title: monry-light #59 直四と直三 (Three and four straight)
Date: 1998.11.15
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 503/113

Simple level, but not obvious.

Author: Hirohiko Nakamiya
Title: Nakamiya #07
Comment: published also in Monster Sokoban 7-7
Date: c. July 2000
Website: miya.s16.xrea.com/selection/bannin/
Difficulty: 6
Best moves/pushes: 212/34

Logic level. It seems easy, but it is not...

Author: Aymeric du Peloux
Title: Picokosmos #3
Subtitle: Prison (Jail)
Comment: Pour sortir de la prison, ça va. Mais pour la reconstruire,
c'est autre chose.
Date: September 2001
Website (mirror): www.onlinespiele-sammlung.de/sokoban/sokobangames/nabokos/
Difficulty: 9 (A. du P.)
Best moves/pushes: 191/49

A pseudo square inside a cross-shaped structure... If it rains and do not know what to do, you can entertain yourself with this one.

Author: Aymeric du Peloux
Title: Picokosmos #13
Subtitle: Bateau (boat)
Comment: Le thème du sablier ou des vases communicants. Pas de problème
d'espace, mais il faut tout de même trouver le bon chemin.
Date: November 2001
Website (mirror): www.onlinespiele-sammlung.de/sokoban/sokobangames/nabokos/
Difficulty: 9 (A. du P.)
Best moves/pushes: 191/78

Two halves... Try not to spend your life moving boxes from one half to another... My difficulty rating: 7.5.

Author: David Holland + Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha) + François Marques
Title: bagatelle #10 bis
Date: 2002.5.8
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 364/79

Very elegant remodel of François Marques. Later remodels of this level by GRIGoRusha would result in #127 Ziko-City.

Author: Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha)
Title: Grigr2002 #120 Depth
Date: July 2002
Website: grigr.narod.ru/sokoban.htm
Difficulty: 6
Best moves/pushes: 488/154

Nice rotatory level with storage in the center.

Author: Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha)
Title: Grigr2002 #121 Honour
Date: July 2002
Website: grigr.narod.ru/sokoban.htm
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 574/174

Fantastic rotatory level! Try not to spend hours and hours rotating the boxes around... See also the similar level GrigrSpecial #15, perhaps a little more difficult.

Author: František Pokorný
Title: #33 Chair and table
Date: December 2003
Website: kantorek.webzdarma.cz/sokobana.htm
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 217/46

Amazing level, much more difficult than it seems.

Author: Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha)
Title: GrigrSpecial #13 Soldafon
Date: March 2004
Website: grigr.narod.ru/sokoban.htm
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 398/121

This puzzle and the next are very studied and difficult levels with non-obvious moves.

Author: Nakamiya + Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha)
Title: GrigrSpecial #14 Lost Hunter
Comment: for Nakamiya
Date: March 2004
Website: grigr.narod.ru/sokoban.htm
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 393/106 

Author: Thomas Reinke
Title: 81 #20
Date: November 2004
Difficulty: 4.5
Best moves/pushes: 124/19

Simple and beautiful logic level.

Author: Kevin B. Reilly
Title: #2021
Date: c. 2005
Difficulty: 5
Best moves/pushes: 109/24

Not too difficult, but very nice.

Author: Thomas Reinke
Title: TBox5 #14
Date: September 2005
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 259/47

These four levels of TBox5 are little jewels. Incredibly good and fun to solve!

Author: Thomas Reinke
Title: TBox5 #26
Date: September 2005
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 262/65 

Author: Thomas Reinke
Title: TBox5 #39
Date: September 2005
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 489/112 

Author: Thomas Reinke
Title: TBox5 #40
Date: September 2005
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 391/114

Author: Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha)
Title: GrigrSpecial02a
Set: Remodel Club #88
Date: 2005.10.6
Website: grigr.narod.ru/sokoban.htm
Difficulty: 8
Best moves/pushes: 638/148

Incredible miniature "six+"! Obviously, the biggest problem is to place the box in D4 - and then build the "six". To do this, you must keep open the puzzle, to be able to turn around. The problem is: where to place the 6 remaining boxes?

Author: Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha)
Title: GrigrStar #14 First Goal
Date: 2006.1.15
Website: grigr.narod.ru/sokoban.htm
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 393/111

Goals = number "1". Minimalist storage, it needs subtle moves. Fun to solve.

Author: Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha)
Title: GrigrStar #27 Good House
Date: 2008.1.25
Website: grigr.narod.ru/sokoban.htm
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 324/109

Beautiful level and fun storage!

Author: Edwin Abbot
Title: Flatland #3
Date: December 2009
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 343/115

Technically, is not a perfect level, because the only difficulty is to place the first box. It is the same defect that other levels in this excellent collection. However, it is not at all easy.

Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: First levels #133
Date: 2011
Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz
Difficulty: 5.5
Best moves/pushes: 457/130

Simple and fun rotatory level, in the clasic Přemysl Zíka style.

Author: Thomas Reinke
Title: Quagmire 2 #35 Pardon the Interruption
Date: November 2011
Difficulty: 8
Best moves/pushes: 335/87

Small nitghmare. Take it calmly.
The best puzzles of 7 boxes of Thomas Reinke are "lines": see TBox2 #8 and Quagmire3 #32 and #90, posted in "Lines (5-8 boxes)".

Author: Marcus Hof
Title: Revenge 35 #16
Date: November 2011
Difficulty: 6
Best moves/pushes: 228/69

Marcus Hof has other puzzles of 7 boxes more difficult, but these four simple levels are my favorites.

Author: Marcus Hof
Title: Revenge 36 #36 arr.
Date: January 2012
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 291/87

Author: Marcus Hof
Title: Revenge 36 #122
Date: January 2012
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 486/166

Author: Marcus Hof
Title: Revenge 38 #55
Date: May 2012
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 481/106 

Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: Primus gradus ad Olympo #49
Date: December 2012
Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz
Difficulty: 5.5 (P.Z.)
Best moves/pushes: 424/159

Fun storage level.

Author: David Buchweitz + Jordi Domènech
Title: Chrysalis Collection 8 #13 a
Set: The beautiful world of remodels 5 #40
Websites:
www.letslogic.com
sokoban-jd.blogspot.com
Date: 2013.11.13
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 391/54

Logic.

Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: Secundus gradus ad Olympo #19
Date: December 2013
Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz
Difficulty: 6.5 (P.Z.)
Best moves/pushes: 231/82  

Strange pinwheel.

Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: Tertius gradus ad Olympo #10
Date: I.2014-XI.2015
Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz
Difficulty: 5 (P.Z.)
Best moves/pushes: 554/127

Excellent! It is a puzzle that could sign Yoshio Sakae.

Author: niwa
Title: Square Dance #23 'r1'
Date: January 2015
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 559/100

Fun storage level. The great difficulty is that there is always a box of hindrance in the storage area...

Author: niwa
Title: Square Dance #25 Picasso
Date: January 2015
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 636/97

Tricky level... Really, it looks like a face of Picasso...

Author: Morganine
Title: Randoms #41
Date: July 2015
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 404/102

Claustrophobic level with several non-obvious moves.

Author: Morganine
Title: Randoms #71 arr.
Date: July 2015
Difficulty: 6
Best moves/pushes: 407/103

Level of ugly look, but surprising: is more complicated than it seems.



Other puzzles

- Edwin Abbot 2

- Serg Belyaev
svb382
 
- Kevin Cassol
SokoChallenge 13
 
- Jordi Domènech
Magic Sokoban 1 43 (Kevin Cassol)
The beautiful world of remodels 5 40
Alberto Garcia remixed 59
 
- Sven Egevad
SE 804
 
- Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha)
Grigr2001 37
GrigrSpecial 15, 20 (see also Remodel Club 93), 25
GrigrStar 8
GrigrSun 5
Remodel Club 68, 92, 96, 105
 
- Marcus Hof
Revenge 22 3; 30 17, 25; 36 36, 103, 116, 118; 37 41
 
- David Holland
cantrip2 3
 
- Morganine
Randoms 6, 82
 
- Yoshio Murase
handmade 35
 
- František Pokorný 51
 
- Kevin B. Reilly 1506
 
- Thomas Reinke
TBox 49, 50
TBox5 13, 28
Calx 7
Anomaly2 27
Quagmire2 17, 21, 47
Quagmire3 23
 
- Shaggath
V2009 144
V2010 151
V2014 19

 - David W. Skinner
Sasquatch XI 11

- Keijo Sopuli
KEAS Collection 14
 
- Eric F. Tchong
Atlas4 12
 
- Thinking Rabbit
Sokoban Perfect 190 (Hidemitsu Kobayashi), 230
 
- Přemysl Zíka
Primus Gradus ad Olympo 46, 48
Secundus Gradus ad Olympo 17
Tertius Gradus ad Olympo 11

Sokoban lessons - Six

As a curiosity, the first "six" in the history of Sokoban is the #1 puzzle from the "Original" collection...

The first "six": 倉庫番 (Sokoban, Thinking Rabbit, 1982, for FM-7), Level 1

In general, the "six" is a figure that can pose many difficulty. First, by the number of boxes: from 5 boxes is already possible to find very difficult puzzles. Secondly, by the enclosure of the goals between walls, which raises typical problems of storage: what box must be put first, which second... and so forth six boxes.

These are my favourite "six", in chronological order. You can download all puzzles here:

• Six

Author: monry
Title: monry-light #67 2*3 series
Date: 1998.11.20
Difficulty: 5
Best moves/pushes: 195/44

This puzzle could be entitled "The magic box". It poses a simple problem of storage (and the use of spaces in the rooms), but it is a masterpiece in its simplicity.

Author: monry + hir
Title: monry-light #76 (A)
Date: 1998.11.28. Remodel: 1999.1.23
Difficulty: 6
Best moves/pushes: 203/53

Fun storage. Simple arrangement of Hir, with 2 stoned floors.

Author: monry
Title: monry-light #95 2*3 series
Date: 1998.12.16
Difficulty: 6
Best moves/pushes: 162/35

Logical puzzle. It is necessary to put elbows on the table to solve this...

Author: monry
Title: FirstStep 603
Date: c. April 1999
Difficulty: 4.5
Best moves/pushes: 65/14

Fantastic sokotoy! Amazing mix of logic, simplicity and aesthetics.

Author: Kenyam (Kenya Maruyama)
Title: Kenyam Set A #18 Waltz I
Date: c. 2000
Website: www.geocities.co.jp/Playtown-Domino/7999/soko/skrmc_a.htm
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 315/76

Incredible miniature! Truly, we must dance a "waltz" of moves to find a solution. Sustained difficulty up to almost the last box.

Author: David W. Skinner
Title: Sasquatch IV #9
Date: March 2001
Difficulty: 4.5
Best moves/pushes: 222/88

Classic "twist" with the "six" blocking the way as a barrier.

Author: Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha)
Title: Grig2002 #102 Wake up
Date: March 2002
Website: grigr.narod.ru/
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 398/98

One of my favorite "six". It is a very nice puzzle to solve and not too difficult. Structure with the "store room" in the central area and circulation around. The best and the most surprising of this puzzle is that no box is placed easy: all boxes, from the first to the last, have difficulty... This gives the measure of the quality of a good puzzle!

Author: François Marques
Title: LI
Comment:
Ce tableau est un inédit.
Il a été créé spécialement pour les participants au concours du mois de octobre 2002 organisé sur le site de sokoban online.
Level set: Le concurs du mois - Bonus levels #12
Date: 2002.7.14
Website: sokoban.online.fr/
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 190/56

A "cross-six", a "six" within a cross-shaped structure: it's impossible more difficulty. See other similar "cross-six", also very good: monry-light #78 and #108; Hirohiko Nakamiya, Monster Sokoban 8-1; Kenyam #42; Kevin B. Reilly #1369 and #1951; and Thomas Reinke, Anomaly 2 #22.

Author: Alberto García + Jordi Domènech
Title: Alberto Garcia remixed #76
Date: September 2002. Remodel: January 2013
Website: sokoban-jd.blogspot.com
Difficulty: 6
Best moves/pushes: 645/134 

Author: Thomas Reinke
Title: TBox5 #2
Date: September 2005
Difficulty: 6
Best moves/pushes: 233/60

Puzzle with a seemingly simple structure (room and store room), but it is more complicated than it seems. Very nice to solve, no movement is obvious...

Author: Thomas Reinke
Title: TBox5 #15
Date: September 2005
Difficulty: 8
Best moves/pushes: 331/65

Complex and difficult puzzle. See also TBox5 #10, similar to this but I think that even more difficult. Thomas Reinke has several "six" exceptional, besides aesthetically beautiful.

Author: Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha)
Title: Remodel Club #91 (gri111a) Kotya
Date: 2005.12.5
Website: grigr.narod.ru/
Difficulty: 8.5
Best moves/pushes: 450/121

Hard remodel of the own GRIGoRusha, from its grigr2002 #11 (#111) Aniska. Nice to solve, but a bit claustrophobic. Take it calmly...

Author: Blaž Nikolič
Title: Blazz2 #12
Date: December 2009
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 264/48

Fantastic "mini six"! With a simple structure of one room and "store room", get ready to go round and round... My optimized solution: 264/48. No comment... However, it's a puzzle very nice to solve, and despite being so compact it's not especially hard.

Author: Edwin Abbot
Title: Flatland #10
Date: December 2009
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 273/86

Puzzle that you previously need to be solved almost mentally, because it is necessary to analyze very well in what order the boxes are to be placed in the store room: what box comes first, which is the second, etc. Typical puzzle of this excellent and strange "Flatland" collection... By the way, the author of this collection seems to be using as a pseudonym the name of Edwin Abbott (1838-1926), english mathematician and author of "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions" (1884)...

Author: Jordi Domènech
Title: Magic Sokoban #62
Date: June 2011
Website: sokoban-jd.blogspot.com
Difficulty: 5.5
Best moves/pushes: 272/71 

Author: Jordi Domènech
Title: Magic Sokoban #70 The wall
Date: June 2011
Website: sokoban-jd.blogspot.com
Difficulty: 5
Best moves/pushes: 54/18  

Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: First levels #194
Date: March 2012
Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz
Difficulty: 5.5
Best moves/pushes: 338/98

Excellent! A "six" in the classic "Přemysl Zíka's style".

Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: Primus gradus ad Olympo #43
Date: December 2012
Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz
Difficulty: 5 (P.Z.)
Best moves/pushes: 458/120

Interesting and laborious storage problem.

Author: Marcus Hof
Title: Magic Sokoban 5 #83 Long way home
Date: September 2013
Difficulty: 5
Best moves/pushes: 429/105

Nice "knot of boxes". The whole difficulty is to place the first box... but this requires 239 moves!

 

Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: Secundus gradus ad Olympo #15
Date: December 2013

Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz 

Difficulty: 5 (P.Z.)
Best moves/pushes: 494/121
 

Claustrophobic and laborious storage.

New additions

 
These new additions are not incorporated yet in the downloadable file.

Author: Kenyam (Kenya Maruyama)
Title: #40 Gyruss
Comment:
Originally, the goal area of Mini Detour (SetA #36) was created as a single level like this. This is an extended version, more difficult.
Date: 2004.11.20
Website: www.geocities.co.jp/Playtown-Domino/7999/soko/skrmc_a.htm
Difficulty: 8
Best moves/pushes: 179/60

Exceptional "six" quasi-compact and vaguely windmill-shaped structure in the bottom half.

Author: Thomas Reinke
Title: Anomaly 3 #43 Idyllic Paean
Date: February 2012
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 132/32

Beautiful tiny "six" inside a windmill-shaped structure. Hint: first, try to build a tiny square ;)

Other "six"
 

- Serg Belyaev
svb091, 276, 528

- Jordi Doménech 
Magic Sokoban 2 #51 Compactsix (a)
Magic Sokoban 3 #63 Underground six
Magic Sokoban 4 #9 A little something 2
The beautiful world of remodels, 3 #15

- Evgeny Grigoriev
grig2002 #11 (#111) Aniska

- Marcus Hof
Revenge 29 #36
Revenge 32 #22

- Iroh
  Warehouse #346

- Kenyam
Kenyam Set A #2 minus-plus, #43 O6 (Ou-siks). See also: #11, 13, 16, 23, 31, 40, 41, 42

- monry
FirstStep 605, 606, 608
monry-light #55, 78, 108

- Hirohiko Nakamiya
Monster Sokoban 4-7, 8-1

- Blaž Nikolič
Blazz #10

- Takashi Ooshima + Hir
ooshima #3 arr.

- Kevin B. Reilly
#188, 1621, 1653, 1654, 1809, 1951

- Thomas Reinke
TBox5 #10, 18
Anomaly 2 #8, 22
Anomaly 3 #43 Idyllic Paean
Quagmire #12, 15

- Sokoban Perfect
#56, 290

- Eric F. Tchong
Aruba 9 #29 Windmill

- Thinking Rabbit
Sokoban Perfect #56, 290

- Přemysl Zíka
#97