The Diabolical Cube isn’t really at all diabolical. It is easy to make the pieces and the puzzle is easy to solve.

It was ‘invented’ by Professor Louis Hoffmann and was included in his book Puzzles Old and New in 1893. Professor Hoffmann was one of the most famous puzzle experts of the time.

The Diabolical Cube pre-dates the Soma Cube by at least 40 years so it probably was revolutionary in its day. It has six pieces and each has a different volume.

The puzzle can be made with foam or polystyrene beads as the filling, to give completely different effects. Whichever filling you use, the pieces will never fit together perfectly like wooden pieces would. The knitted shapes are far more tactile and have the advantage of being very lightweight.

This is one of a series of mathematical games and puzzles.