How the packing puzzle works
You get three boxes, each a little bigger than the last: 4 by 4, 5 by 4, then 6 by 5 squares. Each box comes with a set of pieces that fills it exactly, with no gaps and nothing left over. Every puzzle is a fresh random cut of the box, so there's always a solution, but never the same one twice.
Pieces can be rotated but not flipped. A move is one placement. If you pick a piece back up and place it again, that's another move, so the fewest possible moves for a box is the number of pieces in it.
How your score is worked out
Your score is out of 1,000. Up to 600 points come from moves: the fewest possible moves divided by the moves you made. Up to 400 come from time: you get them all if you average 7 seconds a piece or faster, and fewer the longer you take. Planning ahead matters more than speed.
| Score | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| 900 and up | Almost every piece placed right first time, quickly |
| 750–899 | Strong spatial sense, a few second tries |
| 550–749 | Typical on a first round |
| Under 550 | Lots of trial and error, or still learning the controls |
These bands are a rough guide, not a ranking. Rankings come from the scores players post here, once enough people have played.
What affects your result
- The controls. Your first round is partly about learning how to pick, rotate and drop. Scores usually jump on the second try.
- The cut. Each puzzle is random, so some rounds are trickier than others. Play a few rounds to see your usual level.
- Your device. Dragging on a small phone screen is slower than a mouse. Tapping a piece, then tapping the box, is often quicker on touch.
How to get better at packing puzzles
- Fill the corners and edges first. Awkward pieces are easiest to fit against a wall.
- Place the biggest, oddest pieces early and save small ones for the gaps.
- Count squares. If a gap has 4 squares, only a 4-square piece will close it.
- Rotate in the tray before you drop, so each placement is the final one.
- Look for the gap a piece would leave behind. If it's an impossible shape, try somewhere else.