1 Piece Puzzles

One piece sounds like there is nothing to solve. These puzzles prove otherwise. With nothing to choose between, the whole puzzle is in how that one piece moves, folds or turns.

Where to start

Bumpy by Yasuhiro Hashimoto is rated Easy: one cube covered in bumps, and a box with a few bumps of its own. The Snake Cube is rated Medium: 27 small cubes on an elastic cord that unfold in seconds and take far longer to fold back into a cube.

Chain Store by Goh Pit Khiam is the hardest, rated Hard. Five identical pieces linked into one chain have to pack flush into a box, and moving one link moves the whole chain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a one-piece puzzle really be hard?

Yes. The challenge moves from choosing pieces to handling one: folding a chain into a shape, or finding the one way it fits its box. Chain Store is rated Hard for exactly that reason.

What does 1+1 mean?

One piece plus a box, frame or tray. The extra part is not something you assemble, it is the space the pieces have to fit into, and it is usually what makes the puzzle hard.