What is the 8 puzzle?
The 8 puzzle is the small version of the famous 15 puzzle: eight numbered tiles and one empty square on a 3×3 board. Only half of all possible arrangements can be solved, which is why this game shuffles by making random legal moves from the solved position; every board you get has a solution. Any solvable 8 puzzle can be finished in 31 moves or fewer.
How to solve it
- Put tiles 1, 2 and 3 in the top row. Place 1 and 2 first, then bring 3 around by moving the gap in a small loop.
- Put 4 and 7 in the left column the same way: place one, then rotate the other in.
- The last four squares (5, 6, 8 and the gap) form a 2×2 square. Cycle them around until they line up.
Getting better
- Count your moves: under 40 is good, under 30 is excellent.
- Arrow keys move the tile next to the gap, which is faster than clicking.
- Ready for a bigger challenge? Try the 4×4 15 puzzle and read how to solve the 15 puzzle.