Guides

Win more games of Klondike Solitaire with ten practical tips: which cards to uncover first, when to empty a column, and how to use the stock.

Draw 1 and Draw 3 Klondike Solitaire compared: how the stock works, which is harder, how scoring differs, and which to choose.

The three most popular solitaire games compared: how Klondike, FreeCell and Spider play, how much is luck or skill, and which one suits you.

How Vegas scoring works in Klondike Solitaire: the $52 stake, $5 per card, limited passes through the deck, and how to finish ahead.

All 14 free solitaire games on Everyday Games compared: Klondike, Spider, FreeCell, Pyramid, TriPeaks and more, with which to try first and how hard each one is.

FreeCell is nearly all skill: every card is face up and almost every deal can be won. Learn how to use free cells, empty columns and long moves.

Win more Spider Solitaire games: build in suit, keep columns empty for as long as you can, and deal from the stock at the right time.

How the number of suits changes Spider Solitaire, from relaxed 1-suit games to demanding 4-suit ones, and which to pick.

Clear more pyramids: know every pair that makes 13, uncover the cards that block the most, and use the draw pile and stock passes wisely.

Score higher and clear more peaks in TriPeaks Solitaire by planning chains, choosing between matching cards, and saving your stock.

Solve Sudoku faster with the techniques that matter: scanning, single candidates, hidden singles, pencil notes and pairs, from Easy to Hard.

New to Sudoku? Learn the rules in a minute, the two techniques that solve every easy puzzle, and how notes, hints and mistake checks help while you learn.

Reach the 2048 tile more often: keep your biggest tile in a corner, build a chain along one edge, use only three directions, and plan merges ahead.

Clear more Mahjong Solitaire boards: free the long rows from the ends, take the top layers first, watch for the fourth tile of a set, and know when to shuffle.

Win more Minesweeper games: read the numbers, spot the 1-1 and 1-2-1 patterns, flag with care, clear faster by tapping numbers, and guess only when you must.

Play no-guess Minesweeper free: a new daily board that can always be cleared by logic, with no 50-50 guesses. How it works and the patterns that solve it.

Find word search words faster: scan for rare letters, look for a word’s first two letters, sweep the grid row by row, and check diagonals and backwards words.

Solve WordCrawl word ladders closer to par: work backwards from the target, keep letters that already match, and use vowels as stepping stones.

Get better at crosswords: start with the words you know, use crossing letters, read the clue’s form, and use hints without spoiling the puzzle.

Play a free mini crossword online: quick 5×5 puzzles you can finish in a few minutes, plus how to solve them faster and where to go next.

Clear Brick Breaker levels faster: aim with the edges of your paddle, catch the right power-ups, work around steel bricks and never chase the ball late.

Score higher at Snake: hug the walls, sweep the board in rows, leave yourself an escape route, use quick double turns, and start on Slow to learn the patterns.

Learn the rules of Golf solitaire: clear seven columns by playing cards one rank higher or lower onto the waste, plus tips for planning long runs.

Learn Yukon Solitaire: how the deal works, how to move unordered groups of face-up cards, the Russian variant, and strategy tips for winning more games.

Learn the rules of Forty Thieves Solitaire: two decks, ten columns, building down in suit one card at a time, plus tips for clearing columns and using the stock well.

Learn the rules of Scorpion solitaire: build four King-to-Ace runs in a single suit, move any face-up card with everything on it, and use the three-card stock wisely.

Learn Canfield solitaire (also called Demon): the reserve, the moving foundation base, building around the corner, Draw 3 and Draw 1, and tips for beating a famously tough game.

Learn Clock Solitaire: deal 13 piles around a clock face, send each card home by rank, and turn every card up before the fourth King appears.

Learn Accordion Solitaire: stack piles that match by suit or rank, one or three places to the left, until all 52 cards are in one pile.

Learn Baker’s Dozen solitaire: thirteen face-up columns, foundations by suit and building down regardless of suit. Rules, controls and tips to win more deals.

Learn Beleaguered Castle solitaire: an all-open, one-card-at-a-time patience game. Rules, controls, the Winnable and Streets and Alleys modes, and strategy tips.

Learn how Nonograms work: read the number clues, fill and cross out squares, and solve picture logic puzzles from 5×5 to 15×15 without guessing.

Learn Kakuro: fill each run of white squares with digits 1 to 9 that add up to its clue, with no repeats. Rules, key combinations and solving tips.

Learn the rules of Star Battle, how to place stars and dots, and the logic tricks that crack every puzzle, from 6×6 one-star grids to 10×10 two-star grids.

Learn the rules of the classic sliding tile puzzle and a simple row-by-row method that solves any 3×3, 4×4 or 5×5 board.

Play free online jigsaw puzzles and finish them faster: start with the corners and edges, sort pieces by color, read the shapes, and pick the right size.

Learn how to play Word Guess: find the hidden five-letter word in six tries using green, gold and gray letter hints. Rules, hard mode and tips for better first guesses.

Learn the rules of Word Wheel, the seven-letter anagram game: how words are scored, what a pangram is, how ranks work, and tips for finding more words.

Learn how to play Word Groups: sort sixteen words into four hidden groups of four, avoid red herrings, and solve each puzzle with fewer than four mistakes.

Learn the rules of Hangman and the letter-guessing strategy that finds words in fewer misses, from the best first letters to reading the gaps.

Learn the rules of Paddle Ball, a paddle-and-ball duel against the computer: controls, scoring, serving and tips for beating Easy, Normal and Hard.

Learn how to play Sky Hop, the free one-tap arcade game: how hopping works, what ends a run, how scoring and speed work, and tips for a higher score.

Learn how to fly, aim and survive in Space Rocks, a free arcade space shooter where you break drifting rocks into smaller pieces wave after wave.

Learn how to play Marble Maze: tilt the wooden board to roll the marble past the holes and into the goal, with tips for faster times on all 24 levels.

Learn how to play Gem Swap: swap gems to match three or more, make striped gems, bombs and rainbow stars, and chain cascades for big scores.

Learn the rules of Bridges, the island-connecting logic puzzle, plus the key deductions that solve every grid without guessing.

Learn the rules of Lights Off, the light toggle puzzle: how each press works, what par means, and a simple method to clear any grid.

Learn the three rules of the binary logic puzzle, the simple patterns that solve most of the grid, and how to crack the hardest 10×10 puzzles.

Learn the rules of Light Up, the bulb-placing logic puzzle: light every white square, keep bulbs from seeing each other and match the numbered walls.

Learn how to play Color Links: join each pair of matching dots with a path, never crossing, and fill every square of the board. Rules, controls and solving tips.

Learn the rules of Pipes, the puzzle where you turn pipe pieces until water from the source reaches every one, plus tips for solving Easy, Normal and Hard boards fast.

Learn the rules of Tents (tents and trees), how to use the row and column numbers, and the simple deductions that crack every grid from 6×6 to 10×10.

Clear every Box Pusher level with practical tips: spotting dead squares, keeping boxes off walls, planning the last push first, and using undo and par.

Learn the rules of Unblock, the sliding car parking puzzle: how cars and trucks move, what par means, and tips for freeing the red car in the fewest moves.

Learn the seven tangram pieces, how to move, turn and flip them, and simple strategies for filling any silhouette, from houses and cats to the classic square.

Learn the rules of Memory, the classic pairs card game: flip two cards at a time, remember where each picture is, and find every matching pair in as few moves as you can.

Learn how to play Echo, the pattern memory game: watch the pads light up, repeat the sequence, and see how long a pattern you can remember. Rules, modes and tips.

Learn the rules of Number Chain, the number path puzzle: fill the grid so the numbers run from 1 to the end, each touching the next. Controls, difficulties and solving tips.

Learn Killer Sudoku: the Sudoku rules plus dashed cages that add up to their sums. Rules, the combinations to know, the 45 rule and tips for every difficulty.

Learn Jigsaw Sudoku: the rules for irregular regions, how the tools work, and strategies for solving Easy, Normal and Hard puzzles.

Learn Mini Sudoku, the quick 6×6 puzzle with 3×2 boxes: the rules, the tools, and tips to solve each difficulty faster.

Learn the rules of Math Cages, the arithmetic logic puzzle where every row and column holds each number once and every cage must make its target.

Learn the rules of Futoshiki, how to read the inequality signs, and the logic that solves every grid without guessing.

Learn the rules of Fences, the loop logic puzzle: draw one closed loop between the dots so every number counts its sides. Controls, tips and difficulty levels.

Learn the rules of Nurikabe, the island-and-sea logic puzzle: how to shade the sea, size each island, and solve every grid without guessing.

Learn the three rules of Hitori, how to shade and circle cells, and the patterns that solve every puzzle without guessing.

Learn the rules of Tile Match, how the seven-slot tray works, and tips for clearing every level without filling the tray.

Learn the rules of Water Sort, the color-sorting tube puzzle, plus tips for planning pours, using empty tubes and getting unstuck.

Learn the rules of peg solitaire, how jumps work on the English, European and triangle boards, and simple strategies for finishing with one peg.

Learn how every chess piece moves, castling, en passant and promotion, how games are won or drawn, and tips for beating the computer.

Play chess against the computer free in your browser: pick Easy, Normal or Hard, play White or Black, use hints and undo, and learn how to beat each level.

Learn the rules of checkers (draughts): how pieces move, why jumps are compulsory, how multi-jumps and kings work, how draws happen, and tips to beat the computer.

Learn backgammon: how checkers move, hitting blots, entering from the bar, bearing off, and how gammons and backgammons score. Then play free against the computer.

Simple strategy for Four in a Row: take the center, build threats, use odd and even rows, and set up double threats the computer can’t stop.

Learn the rules of Reversi: outflank and flip discs, when to pass, how the game ends, and simple strategy to beat the computer.

Learn the rules of Gomoku, the five-in-a-row board game: how turns work, freestyle vs exactly-five, and the threats that win games against the computer.

Learn Mancala with Kalah rules: how to sow stones, earn extra turns, capture your opponent’s stones and fill your store, plus tips to beat the computer.

Learn the rules of Dots and Boxes and the strategy that wins it: safe lines, chains, the long-chain rule and double-dealing.

Learn Sea Battle: place your five ships, call shots against the computer, and sink its fleet first. Rules, difficulty levels and tips.

Learn Go step by step: placing stones, liberties and captures, ko, passing, and how area scoring with komi decides the winner. Then play free against the computer on 9×9 or 13×13.

Learn Nine Men’s Morris: placing and moving pieces, forming mills to take pieces, flying with three, and how to win or draw against the computer.

Learn Chinese Checkers: how marbles step and chain hops across the star, how to win, the blocking rule, and strategy tips for beating the computer.

The rules of Hearts, how passing and scoring work, and tips for dodging the queen of spades.

Learn Spades: bid your tricks with a partner, follow suit, use spades as trumps, and score contracts, nil bids and bags. Play free against the computer.

Learn Gin Rummy: build sets and runs, cut your deadwood, knock or go gin, lay off, score undercuts and bonuses, and win the race to 100 against the computer.

Learn Crazy Eights: match the suit or rank, play an 8 to call a new suit, draw when you can’t play, and score the cards left in your opponents’ hands. Play free against the computer.

Learn Euchre: the 24-card deck, ordering up and naming trump, the right and left bowers, going alone, and how to score to 10.

Learn cribbage step by step: the deal and crib, pegging to 31, counting fifteens, pairs, runs and flushes, and racing to 121 against the computer.

Learn the rules of Five Dice: rolling and holding, all 13 scorecard boxes, the upper bonus, joker rules for extra five of a kinds, and tips to beat the computer.

Learn the rules of Code Breaker, how to read black and white key pegs, and a simple strategy to crack the computer’s color code in five or six guesses.