Puzzle tips and guides
Practical strategy, how our daily puzzles work, and the thinking behind each kind of puzzle. Written to help you play better, not to fill a page.
2048 strategy: the corner method and why it works
The corner method for 2048 and other number merge games: pick a home corner, build a falling row, avoid one direction and recover from mistakes.
Bubble shooter strategy: aim for the roots, not the leaves
Why the best bubble shooter shots hit the top of a cluster, how to use wall bounces, when to swap colors, and how to stop the ceiling from dropping.
How to solve a sliding puzzle: the row-by-row method
A reliable way to solve any sliding tile puzzle: finish the top row, then the left column, place the last two tiles together and rotate the corner.
How to solve nonograms: turn number clues into a picture
A beginner guide to nonograms, also called picture logic or griddlers: how to read the clues, the overlap trick, crossing out blanks and finishing cleanly.
How to solve Sudoku step by step, from your first grid to tricky ones
A plain guide to solving Sudoku: the one rule, how to scan for easy numbers, when to use notes, and the pair tricks that crack harder grids.
Klondike solitaire strategy: how to win more games
Practical Klondike solitaire strategy: which moves to make first, why face-down cards matter most, how to use empty columns and when to hold cards back.
Minesweeper patterns explained: read the numbers, never guess
Learn the number patterns behind Minesweeper-style puzzles: single-neighbour ones, satisfied numbers, the 1-2-1 and 1-2-2-1 lines, and safe opening moves.
Sort puzzle tips: why the empty jar is your most valuable piece
How to beat color sort and ball sort puzzles: protect your empty container, read stacks from the top down, pour whole runs and plan the last few moves.
Word guessing games: how to pick a first guess and use every clue
How to choose a strong first word in a letter-guessing game, read colored clues, avoid wasted guesses and handle double letters and tricky endings.
Five classic puzzle games and the one idea behind each
Solitaire, tile pairs, nonograms, parking jams and word search: where each classic came from, the one idea behind it, and how to play it well.
How daily puzzles work: one seed, one board for everyone
Why every player gets the same daily puzzle, how a date turns into a board, and what keeps daily challenges fair, from seeds to streaks.
How to get better at logic puzzles: habits that actually help
Practical habits that make logic puzzles easier: start from the tightest constraint, mark what you rule out, skip guessing and learn from stuck moments.