Minus Cube facts for kids
The Minus Cube is a fun 3D puzzle that was made in the Soviet Union. It's also known by other names like BLOXBOX or Varikon Box. This puzzle is a bit like a sliding block puzzle, but in three dimensions!
The Minus Cube comes in a clear plastic box. Inside, there are seven small cubes. Each of these small cubes is made from two U-shaped pieces glued together, one white and one colored. The box is just big enough to hold eight of these small cubes, but it only has seven. This means there's always one empty space inside. You can move the small cubes around by tilting the box, making a cube slide into the empty spot.
The main goal of the Minus Cube puzzle is to arrange the small cubes so that each side of the big clear box shows only one color. Imagine looking at the top, bottom, and all four sides of the box; you want each of those views to be a solid color!
Types of Minus Cubes
There were two main types of Minus Cubes made, and they were named after the cities where they came from.
Moscow Minus Cube
One type was called the "Moscow Minus Cube." This version usually had red and white small cubes. It was considered easier to solve because there were many ways to get all the colors lined up correctly.
Sverdlovsk Minus Cube
The other type was the "Sverdlovsk Minus Cube," which typically had blue and white cubes. This one was much harder! The way one of the small cubes was put together made it 12 times more challenging to find a solution compared to the Moscow version.
Solving the Puzzle
Even though the Moscow and Sverdlovsk versions were the most common, there were actually 48 different ways the Minus Cube could be put together. Each of these variations could be solved, offering different levels of challenge for puzzle enthusiasts.
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