How to play
SameGame
Make space.
See what comes together.
A little pair can change the whole next move. Follow the same blocks as they fall, slide and find new neighbours.
A small position from a 7 × 9 board.
Follow the sides.
Matching tiles belong together when you can walk between them across shared sides. Follow every branch: a group need not be a straight line.
Here, five diamonds connect. A, B and C have the same shape, but no matching side path reaches them. A corner touch does not count.
How many diamonds belong to the outlined group?
Choose an answer. We’ll follow the reason.
Read the answer
Five. A (row 6, column 3), B (row 9, column 5) and C (row 6, column 5) have no matching side path into this group. Same shape alone is not enough.
Circles, diamonds and triangles distinguish the three types without relying on colour.
Zero can still be a move.
Select a group, then choose Remove. Two matching neighbours are enough; a single tile cannot go.
This bottom pair of circles earns (2 − 2)² = 0. It is still a legal move. What matters next is the space it opens.
Can this pair be removed for zero points?
Choose an answer. We’ll follow the reason.
Read the answer
Yes. Two matching side-neighbours are enough. (2 − 2)² = 0, so the move changes the board without raising the score.
Selection is a preview. The board changes only when you choose Remove.
Open the space.
Let’s remove that pair. Exactly those two circles disappear. No new tiles refill the holes.
We are slowing one normal move into its parts. The suspended blocks are a movement diagram, not a settled playable position.
Compare with the start of this movement
Same blocks, earlier positions. Scroll motion is optional; these two diagrams show the change.
The score stays at zero. A useful rearrangement need not score immediately.
First, straight down.
Blocks above a hole fall straight down within their own column. They keep their top-to-bottom order.
Watch A drop one square. Two blocks below it fall too. The fourth column is now empty, but the rightmost column has not shifted yet.
Compare with the start of this movement
Same blocks, earlier positions. Scroll motion is optional; these two diagrams show the change.
The trails show where the same blocks came from. Their shapes never change.
Then, close left.
A completely empty column disappears. Whole columns to its right close left, keeping their order. A sparse column with even one tile stays.
Watch B move left with its whole column. It now touches the bottom diamonds. A also shares a side with the group after falling.
Compare with the start of this movement
Same blocks, earlier positions. Scroll motion is optional; these two diagrams show the change.
New neighbours stay on the board. There is no automatic chain removal.
Count the new opportunity.
The pair made room for seven connected diamonds. Count the whole group, then calculate (n − 2)².
Seven minus two is five. Five times five gives 25 points. A pair gives 0, three tiles give 1, and five give 9.
What will these seven diamonds earn?
Choose an answer. We’ll follow the reason.
Read the answer
25. Subtract two first: 7 − 2 = 5, then 5 × 5 = 25. These diamonds still need their own explicit Remove action.
This pair-first example creates a larger next group. It does not prove a universally best strategy or guarantee a clear.
A choice changes the next choice.
Now remove the seven for 25 points. The six survivors fall and close left by the same rules.
There is still a group of three circles, and C, a diamond on its own. We have made two legal moves, not cleared the board. Look at what a removal brings together, and use Undo to compare.
Compare with the start of this movement
Same blocks, earlier positions. Scroll motion is optional; these two diagrams show the change.
No clearing bonus, leftover penalty or timer. A full clear wins; isolated tiles with no legal group end the game at the current score.
Try your own three movesYour moves.
Your next neighbours.
A different starting position. Try three removals, or finish earlier if no groups remain. No target score. Before each Remove, imagine what will fall and slide.
This practice stays only while the page is open. Your regular game and its save are separate.
Lower-left part of a seeded 7 × 9 board.
All omitted squares are empty. No new tiles arrive.
Start these three moves again? This clears the practice score and removals. You can undo the reset.
Controls & practice notes
Tap any tile to select its whole side-connected group. Remove confirms it; tapping again only selects. Clear selection cancels. A single tile cannot be removed.
Keyboard: Tab into the board. Arrows move; Home/End go to the row’s ends. Enter or Space selects. Tab to Remove and press Enter. Escape cancels. Tab leaves the board. Undo restores the previous move or reset.
The score starts at zero for this reached position; earlier seed moves are not counted. Explain one option suggests a legal move from your current board, with no optimality claim. Asking for one is recorded as assistance for this attempt.
Look at the space
you can make.
Follow matching sides. Think down, then left. Count the new group. Your actual practice tiles and score will appear here as you play.
Play SameGame Return to your practiceThe ordinary game uses a full 7 × 9 board. Random boards are not guaranteed clearable. Free, no account needed.
The quick rules.
- Follow matching sides. A group includes every matching tile connected through shared edges. Diagonals do not connect.
- Two is enough. Select a group of at least two, then choose Remove. Single tiles cannot be removed.
- Down, then left. Tiles fall into gaps. Completely empty columns close left. New groups need another explicit removal.
- Score (n − 2)². Two tiles: 0. Three: 1. Five: 9. Seven: 25. No clearing bonus or leftover penalty.
- Clear to win. If tiles remain but no matching group of at least two is available, the game ends at the current score.
A few useful answers.
Should I always take the biggest group?
No universal best-move rule is taught here. A small group can bring larger groups together; another choice may leave isolated tiles. Look at the actual next position and compare with Undo. Our example is one legal line, not an optimality proof.
Do diagonal tiles count?
No. They must connect along sides, possibly through other matching tiles. A winding or branching group counts in full.
Can every board be cleared?
No. The ordinary generator ensures at least two of each shape initially, but does not guarantee a clear. This guide’s seeded positions also make no clearing promise.
What do Replay and New board do?
In the ordinary game, Replay restores the same seeded starting board and score zero. New board uses another seed. Both ask before replacing an unfinished game with removals. Undo and redo are available for the current visit; the ordinary board and score save locally when available.
Why do these blocks have letters?
A, B and C are identity tags for the teaching diagram. Watch A fall down and B shift left into a bigger group, while C stays separate. They are not another tile type or a normal game rule.