Guides
How to play, and how to win.
Clear, step-by-step guides to the games people actually want to get better at: the rules of Sudoku, the corner strategy for 2048, reading the numbers in Minesweeper and more. Each one is backed by a free game that runs entirely in your browser.
The Benefits of Puzzle Games for Your Brain
Puzzle games are sold as brain training. The honest version is more modest and more useful: here is what Sudoku, Minesweeper and the rest really exercise.
Read guideHow to Make a Word Search From Your Own Word List
A good word search hides your words in a grid that is challenging but fair. Here is how the placement works, how to size the grid, and how to make one in seconds.
Read guideHow to Play Sudoku: Rules and a Beginner's Method
The rules of Sudoku take one sentence. Here is that sentence, plus a scanning method and the pencil-note habit that gets beginners solving real grids.
Read guideHow to Win at 2048: The Corner Strategy That Works
2048 looks like luck and plays like a plan. Anchor your biggest tile in a corner, build along one edge, and avoid the move that breaks it. Here is the full method.
Read guideMinesweeper Strategy: Read the Numbers, Skip the Guessing
Minesweeper is deduction, not luck, once you are past the opening. Here is how to read what each number proves and the two patterns that clear most boards.
Read guideSudoku Solving Techniques: From Naked Singles to X-Wings
Once scanning stops working, named techniques take over. Here are the ones that actually solve Hard and Expert grids, in the order you should reach for them.
Read guideThe Unbeatable Tic-Tac-Toe Strategy (Never Lose Again)
Tic-tac-toe is a solved game, so you never have to lose. Here is the move order that guarantees at least a draw, and how to set the trap that beats a careless opponent.
Read guideSkip the reading — just play
Every guide is backed by a free, in-browser game. Browse them all.
See all games