Diagra is a wooden assembly puzzle from Vinco, the workshop of Czech designer and craftsman Václav Obšivač. It belongs to his family of half-cube puzzles and consists of eight pieces made from woods of different shades. The first goal is to bring them together into a cube; from there, you can build other shapes.

• BrandVinco
• DesignerVáclav Obšivač
• TypeAssembly (half-cubes)
• MaterialMixed woods
• Pieces8
• DifficultyLevel 5 (Vinco scale)

Design

Strictly speaking, a half-cube is either of the two identical halves you get by dividing a cube. Vinco extends the idea with “mutant” pieces, which no longer have exactly half the volume, and uses them to build assembly puzzles. In Diagra any piece can join any other, so it works as a three-dimensional puzzle in which the possibilities multiply and trial and error isn’t enough.

It has a soft waxed finish, with no glossy varnish, so the grain of each wood shows through.

Skill level

Vinco gives it level 5 on its scale, and those who have tried it agree that it is a demanding challenge despite its simple look: rebuilding the cube a second time is rarely much quicker than the first. It is recommended for anyone who already has experience with assembly puzzles.