How to play
Block Puzzle is played on a board of 8 × 8 squares. The tray below the board (beside it on wider screens) holds three pieces made of square blocks. Drag a piece onto the board and drop it wherever it fits. You choose the order: place the three pieces one by one, and when the tray is empty a fresh set of three appears.
When a row or a column is completely filled, it clears and its squares become free again. Rows and columns are checked together after every placement, so one piece can finish a row and a column at the same time, or several lines at once. Nothing falls and there is no timer. The game ends when none of the pieces left in the tray fits anywhere on the board, so aim for as many points as possible before then.
Rules
- Pieces cannot be rotated or flipped. Each one is placed exactly as it appears in the tray.
- A piece must lie completely inside the board and may not cover a filled square.
- After each placement, every full row and every full column is cleared at the same time.
- A new set of three pieces arrives only after all three pieces of the current set have been used.
- A piece that does not fit anywhere at the moment is shown faded. When every piece left in the tray is faded, the game is over.
Scoring
- Placing a piece: 1 point for every square it covers.
- Clearing lines: the lines cleared by one placement score 10 × (1 + 2 + … + L), where L is the number of lines. That is 10 points for one line, 30 for two, 60 for three, 100 for four and 150 for five.
- Combo: when placements in a row each clear at least one line, the game shows Combo ×2, ×3 and so on. The Nth clearing move in a row adds a bonus of 10 × (N − 1) points for every line it clears. A placement that clears nothing ends the combo.
- Board clear: emptying the whole board earns an extra 300 points.
Example: your third clearing move in a row uses a 2 × 2 square and clears two lines. It earns 4 points for the blocks, 30 for the lines and a combo bonus of 10 × 2 × 2 = 40, a total of 74.
Controls
- Mouse: press on a piece in the tray, drag it over the board and release. A tinted preview shows where it will land, and the rows and columns it would clear light up. If there is no preview when you let go, the piece returns to the tray.
- Touch: drag a piece with your finger. It floats a little above your fingertip, so you can see the piece and the preview under it. Dragging on the board or the tray never scrolls the page.
- Keyboard: press 1, 2 or 3 to pick a piece, move it with the arrow keys and press Enter or Space to place it. Esc cancels. You can also Tab to a piece in the tray and press Enter.
- New game asks you to confirm while a game is in progress.
Tips and strategy
- Keep room for the big pieces. The 3 × 3 square and the five-block lines end more games than any other shape. Try to keep one open 3 × 3 area and at least one empty row or column.
- Look at all three pieces first. You choose the order, so place the awkward piece while the board is still open and keep small pieces for tight gaps.
- Build from the edges. Filling along the sides and corners keeps the middle flexible for whatever comes next.
- Avoid single holes. An isolated empty square can only take the single block, which may not turn up for a while.
- Clear several lines at once. Two lines together score three times as much as one, and a combo adds more on top.
Frequently asked questions
Can I rotate the pieces?
No. Every piece is placed exactly as shown in the tray. Planning around the shapes you are given is the heart of the game.
How are new pieces chosen?
At random, with small and medium shapes more common than large ones. A set never holds more than one of the biggest pieces (the 3 × 3 square and the five-block lines), and every new set contains at least one piece that fits the board at the moment it is dealt.
Why is a piece in the tray faded?
It does not fit anywhere on the board right now. Placing another piece and clearing a line may open space for it.
When does the game end?
When none of the pieces left in the tray can be placed. A panel shows your score and your best score, and Play again starts a fresh board.
Is my game saved if I close the page?
Yes. The board, the tray, your score and your combo are stored in your browser after every move, and so is your best score. A private window or clearing site data removes them.