Block Puzzle

🕹️ How to play

1. Drag a block onto the grid: You get three blocks at a time. Press one and drag it over the board: a ghost shows where it will land. If there is no ghost, the block can't go there and simply returns to its slot when you let go. Dragging it back into the lower part of the tray also puts it back.
2. Fill a row or column to clear it: Any row or column with all 10 cells filled clears. Several full lines clear together. While you drag, the lines that will clear light up and the points for that move are shown.
3. Place all three to get the next set: Play the three blocks in any order; a new set only arrives once all three are down. Blocks never rotate, so keep room for long bars and big squares.
4. Stuck? Swap the set or finish: When none of the blocks in hand fit anywhere, you can use a free "New set" if you have one left. Otherwise the game ends and the result card names the blocks that didn't fit, with a tip for next time.

📖 Rules & variants

Board and pieces: a 10×10 grid and 19 pieces — a single, straight bars of 2 to 5 (horizontal and vertical), a 2×2 square, a 3×3 square, a small corner (3 cells) and a big L (5 cells) in four orientations each. Pieces never rotate; every orientation is a separate piece.

Placing and clearing: each set has three pieces, play them in any order. A placement is legal if it stays on the board and doesn't overlap. Any row or column that becomes full clears; rows and columns full at the same moment clear together. A new set is dealt only after all three are placed.

Scoring: a placed piece scores its cell count. Clearing L lines at once scores 10×L×(L+1)/2 — 10, 30, 60, 100, 150, 210 for 1 to 6 lines (a 3×3 can clear up to 6) — times the combo multiplier. Emptying the whole board is a Perfect Clear: +300, not multiplied.

Combo: every placement that clears adds 1 to the combo; the multiplier equals the combo, capped at ×5. The combo only resets after 3 placements in a row without a clear, so one or two setup moves don't break it.

Dealing (public): pieces are drawn by family with fixed weights in three score bands — under 300, 300–1499, and 1500+. Weights for single / bar2 / bar3 / bar4 / bar5 / 2×2 / 3×3 / small corner / big L: band 1 = 3/4/4/2/1/4/0.5/4/1, band 2 = 2/3/3/3/2/3/1.5/3/2.5, band 3 = 1/2/3/3/3/3/2/2/3.5. Orientations inside a family share its weight. A set is never three identical pieces.

Guarantee: every set has at least one piece that fits right now. If none fit, the whole set is redrawn (up to 10 tries), then the third piece is replaced with the biggest piece that fits. Dealing looks only at this game's score — never at your record.

New set: you start with 1 and earn 1 per Perfect Clear, up to 3. Use it any time (tap twice to confirm) or when you're stuck. It discards the pieces in hand and deals a fresh set; it costs no points and doesn't touch the combo.

Game over: when nothing in hand fits and no New Set is left — or when you choose "End game" while stuck. Every move is saved locally, so a refresh picks up where you left off.

House rule challenge: play a whole game without using New Set and see how far pure planning gets you.

Worked examples: clears, combos and a perfect clear

All three use the scoring rules above; the green frame marks the lines that clear on that move.

❓ FAQ