📖 Rules & variants
The board is 4 columns by 5 rows. One 2×2 block, plus 1×2 tall blocks, 2×1 wide blocks and 1×1 singles, cover 18 of the 20 squares, so exactly two stay empty. Win by sliding the 2×2 block to the bottom centre and out through the gate; no other block may leave.
A move slides one block through empty squares to any square it can reach. The whole path must be clear, corners are allowed, and blocks never rotate, overlap, jump or leave the board. Let go halfway and the block slides back with no move counted and nothing added to the undo stack.
Two readings: moves count block by block (repeat slides of the same block merge into one) and cells count squares travelled. The classic board's famous 81 uses the move reading; counted by squares the same solution runs past 100. Both are shown so any figure you read elsewhere lines up.
24 levels run from a 3-move opener to the classic 81-move board and are never locked, so you can jump ahead at any time. Clear a board at the optimum without a hint for a star, otherwise it is marked cleared. Best figures are written only for unaided clears, and an unfinished round never writes one.
The usual mistake is watching the big block instead of the two empty squares. Decide where the gaps need to go and the big block's route follows. On the long boards, undoing three or four moves and trying another branch beats pushing harder at a dead end.
❓ FAQ
How do you play klotski?
Slide the 2×2 block down to the gate at the bottom centre. Blocks move only through the two empty squares, may cover several squares in one slide and turn corners, and never rotate or jump. Every other block exists purely to be shuffled out of the big one's way.
What is the minimum number of moves in klotski?
The classic board is famously solved in 81 moves, counting a run of slides by the same block as one move. Counted square by square the same line runs past 100, which is why quoted figures disagree. Both readings are shown here, and every level's optimum is recomputed by this site's own solver.
Is klotski the same as the 15 puzzle?
No. The 15 puzzle (and its 8-puzzle sibling) uses same-sized numbered tiles you sort into order. Klotski mixes 2×2, 1×2, 2×1 and 1×1 blocks and asks you to free the largest one through an exit — nothing is numbered and there is no fixed final arrangement.
How do you solve a klotski puzzle when you're stuck?
Undo three to five moves first: most dead ends were decided several moves earlier. Then use Hint, which plays the next move of a genuinely optimal line, or Solve to watch the whole thing and take over at any point. Neither blocks the clear; they only forfeit the star and the best time.
What are the best klotski strategies?
Track the two empty squares, not the big block — where the gaps go decides where it can go. Moving the big block down a row needs both squares beneath it free at once, so plan two or three moves ahead. Keep tall blocks upright when you can: laying one flat usually seals off a whole row.
What is the classic klotski board called?
It is known in Chinese as Huarong Dao — the big block at the top centre, two tall blocks down each side, one wide block across the middle, four singles below it and the two gaps in the bottom row. It is level 24 here, and the 81 next to it comes from this site's own search, not a quoted number.
How long does a klotski puzzle take?
The first board takes under a minute, the middle of the run two to six minutes, and the famous boards often tens of minutes. Progress is saved after every move, so closing the tab or taking a call leaves the position, move count and clock exactly where you left them.
⚠️ Every board here is generated and verified solvable by this site, with each optimum recomputed by the built-in solver; results are for casual play.
