How to play
Clear the board by tapping pairs of numbers. Two taps, one rule about the numbers themselves, and one rule about where they sit.
The goal
Every level deals a board of digits from 1 to 9, five rows to begin with. You clear it by removing numbers two at a time. Clear the whole board and the level is done.
Which pairs can be removed
A pair works if the two numbers are either:
- the same — 7 and 7, 3 and 3, 9 and 9; or
- ten together — 6 and 4, 8 and 2, 9 and 1, 5 and 5.
Note that 5 is the only digit that pairs with itself both ways: two fives are equal and make ten.
Which numbers count as neighbours
This is the part that decides whether you are good at the game. A matching pair only clears if the two numbers are connected, and there are two ways for that to be true.
1. Next to each other in reading order
Read the board the way you read a page: left to right, top to bottom. Any two numbers that sit next to each other in that order are connected — including the last number of one row and the first number of the next.
The 3 at the end of the first row and the 7 at the start of the next make ten, and they are neighbours in reading order, so they clear. This row wrap is the rule new players miss most often — it is worth hunting for deliberately.
2. On a straight line
Two numbers also connect if they sit on the same row, the same column, or the same diagonal, with nothing but empty space between them.
Cleared squares never block
Once a number is gone, its square stops blocking. Numbers can see straight through the gaps in any direction, so the board keeps opening up as you clear it. A live number, however, always blocks the line.
The 3 and the 7 make ten and only empty squares lie between them, so they clear even though they are not touching.
When you get stuck
Add rows
The left key copies every number still on the board to the bottom, giving you fresh neighbours to work with. You get five per level and the count sits on the key.
Hints
The right key highlights one available pair. You start with one hint and earn another for every level you clear. Unused hints bank up rather than expiring, so saving them is worthwhile.
Running out
If no pairs are left and you have no rows left to add, the game is over. Asking for a hint on a board with nothing to find will nudge the add key instead of scolding you.
Scoring
| What you did | Points |
|---|---|
| Cleared a pair | +10 |
| Emptied a whole row | +40 |
| Cleared the level | +500 |
| Each add left unused | +50 |
Nothing is ever deducted. Your score only goes up, so it reads as a record of what you cleared rather than a balance you spend against.
Tips
- Clear whole rows. An empty row is removed and the board shifts up, which pays 40 and rearranges every neighbour below it.
- Look along the wrap. Scanning row by row hides the pairs that span the end of one row and the start of the next.
- Spend adds late. They are worth 50 each at the end, and a board with more gaps has more connections through them.
- Watch the fives. Two fives clear each other, so an odd five left alone can strand you.