Birthday gifts for a brother who does puzzles
Melissa & Doug
Dinosaurs Chunky Puzzle, 7 Pieces
$12.99 at Melissa & Doug
Thick dinosaur pieces that stand up on their own once they are out, so the puzzle becomes a toy the moment it is finished.
Seen at Melissa & Doug, 30 Aug 2026
Scrabble
Deluxe Edition (paid link)
$100 to $250 at Amazon
Named by Town and Country, 2026.
Checked 5 Sep 2026
Chess House
The Barcelona Grandmaster Chess Set
$369 at Chess House
A full chess set pairing Grandmaster pieces with a decorative wooden board.
Seen at Chess House, 8 Sep 2026
Rubik's
Rubik’s Cube Coach Cube (paid link)
Under $25 at Amazon
Named by TODAY, 2026.
Checked 31 Aug 2026
Thames and Kosmos
EXIT: The Cursed Labyrinth
$17.95 at Thames and Kosmos
An escape room in a box, played once by a group who are allowed to cut up and write on the components.
Seen at Thames and Kosmos, 30 Aug 2026
Melissa & Doug
First Shapes Jumbo Peg Puzzle (paid link)
Under $25 at Amazon
A jumbo wooden peg puzzle of basic shapes, sized for toddlers ages 2 to 4.
Seen at Amazon, 3 Sep 2026
Chess House
25" Large Royal Deluxe Chess Set
$399 at Chess House
A complete 25-inch chess set with large pieces weighted by decorative brass rings.
Seen at Chess House, 8 Sep 2026
Blue Note
Blue Note Records 500-Piece Puzzle
$25 at Blue Note Store
A 500-piece puzzle built from classic Reid Miles cover designs and Francis Wolff photography from Blue Note.
Seen at Blue Note Store, 6 Sep 2026
Chess House
Classic Chess Set 15.6" with Backgammon by Artist Ohanyan
$329 at Chess House
A folding wooden set combining chess and backgammon with handcrafted detail.
Seen at Chess House, 8 Sep 2026
Rifle Paper Co.
Jigsaw Puzzle, Bookshelf
$36 at Rifle Paper Co.
Five hundred pieces of painted bookshelf, and the box is made to sit on a shelf afterwards.
Seen at Rifle Paper Co., 30 Aug 2026
Chess House
Queen's Gambit Chess Set - Black
$429 at Chess House
A complete set pairing Queen’s Gambit-style pieces with a reproduced tournament board.
Seen at Chess House, 8 Sep 2026
Crocodile Creek
50 Piece Flat House Puzzle, Fire House
$15.99 at Crocodile Creek
A puzzle cut into the shape of the fire station it shows, so the finished thing looks like something rather than a rectangle.
Seen at Crocodile Creek, 30 Aug 2026
Mudpuppy
Capybara Pool Day 500 Piece Puzzle
$16.99 at Mudpuppy
Five hundred pieces is a weekend for a ten year old rather than a month, and the capybaras do the rest.
Seen at Mudpuppy, 30 Aug 2026
Chess House
San Francisco Stainless Steel Chess Set with Map Board
$775 at Chess House
A complete stainless-steel chess set with San Francisco landmarks and a wooden map board.
Seen at Chess House, 8 Sep 2026
Le Puzz
Mystery, 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
$42 at Le Puzz
A thousand pieces where the picture you build is not the picture on the box, for someone who has done too many easy ones.
Seen at Le Puzz, 30 Aug 2026
Chess House
Cy Endfield 24 Karat Gold and Silver Plated Travel Chess Set
$590 at Chess House
A travel chess set with gold- and silver-plated pieces based on Cy Endfield’s design.
Seen at Chess House, 8 Sep 2026
Rubik's
Pulse Cube (paid link)
Under $25 at Amazon
Named by Good Housekeeping, 2026.
Checked 31 Aug 2026
Chess House
Noguchi Modernist-Style Chess Set
$530 at Chess House
A modernist-style reproduction of the sculptural chess design associated with Isamu Noguchi.
Seen at Chess House, 8 Sep 2026
Crocodile Creek
50 Piece HoloPuzzle, Dinosaurs
$15.99 at Crocodile Creek
Fifty pieces with a holographic shine, hard enough to be worth doing and short enough to finish in one sitting.
Seen at Crocodile Creek, 30 Aug 2026
Chess House
The Magnificent Chess Set
$1,750 at Chess House
A complete oversized chess set with a European-made board and substantial pieces.
Seen at Chess House, 8 Sep 2026
Crocodile Creek
36 Piece Puzzle, Wild Animals
$25.99 at Crocodile Creek
A thick-piece animal puzzle a five year old can finish without help, which is the whole point at this age.
Seen at Crocodile Creek, 30 Aug 2026
Chess House
The Optimist, Sydney Gruber Painted Chess Set
$970 at Chess House
A one-of-a-kind chess set hand-painted by artist Sydney Gruber.
Seen at Chess House, 8 Sep 2026