Tile Slide
Slide tiles into numerical order. Classic puzzle popularized by Sam Loyd in 1874.
How to play
The board has N²-1 numbered tiles and 1 empty spot. Click any tile adjacent to the empty spot — it slides into the empty space. Goal: arrange tiles in order from left to right, top to bottom (1, 2, 3, ..., empty at bottom-right).
- 3x3: 8 tiles, easy, usually 50-100 moves
- 4x4: 15 tiles, classic difficulty, usually 100-200 moves
- 5x5: 24 tiles, challenge, 200-500 moves; longer strategy
Key skill
Beginners try to solve all-at-once. The professional approach is staged: get the first row done left-to-right, then the first column, then recursively solve the smaller remaining puzzle. The last 3 tiles in the bottom-right require a cycle move.
Inspiration
The 15-puzzle was invented by Noyes Chapman in 1874; Sam Loyd popularized it in 1880 with a $1000 prize (the prize puzzle was mathematically unsolvable — Loyd knew but didn't say). Fully original implementation here; visuals and interaction are BverGame original.