Cuboval is a wooden puzzle by Vinco, the workshop of Czech maker Václav Obšivač in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm. It belongs to the family known as packing puzzles: the challenge is not to build a shape, but to get every piece to fit inside its box.

• BrandVinco
• TypePacking puzzle
• MaterialMaple and cherry wood
• Size8 x 8 x 4 cm
• Pieces8
• Difficulty4 on Vinco’s scale

How it works

The aim is to fit all eight pieces into the wooden box without any of them sticking out. The pieces only sit fully inside with the right arrangement, and getting there takes trial, elimination and an understanding of how the shapes complement one another. Despite the small number of pieces, the maker rates it as high difficulty, and a session can easily last more than half an hour.

Materials and manufacturing

Vinco is a small workshop that makes its puzzles in wood and often combines woods of different tones; in the Cuboval, maple and cherry. The pieces are precision-cut so that they fit exactly inside the box. Because this is natural wood, the grain and colour vary slightly from one piece to the next.