How to Play Block Puzzle
The aim is to keep making legal placements while opening space on the grid. You decide where each shape goes; a complete line makes room for another move.
1. Look at all three shapes
The tray gives you three shapes. You may use them in any order, so inspect the whole set before choosing your first piece.
After all three have been placed, a new set appears. Using one shape does not immediately replace it with another.
2. Select a shape and place it
Every square of a shape must land inside the board, and every square it covers must be empty. Shapes cannot overlap existing blocks.
Select a shape, then choose a square for the top-left corner of its bounding box. That is the top-left corner of the rectangle around the shape, which may not itself be a filled square of an irregular piece. The outline shows exactly which squares the piece will cover.
Use the on-screen arrows to adjust its position, then press Place shape. You can also drag the shape onto the grid: releasing it in a valid position places it directly. A candidate that crosses an edge or covers an occupied square is invalid.
With a keyboard, Tab to a shape and press Enter or Space to select it. Use the arrow keys to move the candidate, Enter to place it and Escape to deselect without changing the board.
3. Clear lines and keep playing
A row clears when all its squares are occupied. A column clears when every square in it is occupied. Lines completed by the same placement clear together; partly filled lines stay where they are.
Here is an example on an 8x8 grid. Filled squares are marked in the grid; empty squares stay open. Rows are shown from top to bottom.
A horizontal two-square shape fills the gap at the right-hand end of the top row. The row is then complete and clears, leaving that row empty again. A vertical shape can complete a matching gap in a column.
If a shape has no home, check the others: a different placement might clear space for it. The game ends only when none of the shapes remaining in the tray fits anywhere, even if some individual squares are still empty.
Questions about the rules
Do diagonal lines clear?
No. Clearing applies to horizontal rows and vertical columns, not diagonals.
Can I reconsider before placing a shape?
For select-and-place input, inspect the outline and adjust the candidate before pressing Place shape. Use Deselect to cancel that selection. A valid drag release places the shape immediately, so check the preview before letting go.
How are points calculated?
Read the scoring guide for this site's exact point rules. The diagram above explains a line clear, not a point calculation.
What should I try next?
The strategy guide shows how a clearing move can make room for a shape that was blocked, and why a connected opening can be more useful than scattered empty squares.