laishaNew to the game? Begin with the three-move tutorial. Here, filled circles represent pieces and dashed circles mark their matching places. Letters identify them as well as colors; a check mark means a piece has settled.
These are separate teaching puzzles with the same movement rules as the game. They illustrate the ideas without revealing the daily challenge. Read each starting board before following the solution.
1. Let one piece follow another.
A piece in front can look like an obstacle. The useful distinction is whether it will stay there: you may enter a square that another selected piece leaves during the same move. All selected pieces move together, one square each.
A is at the middle left and B is in the center. A’s place is at the bottom center; B’s is at the middle right. The arrow points right. Both must arrive within two moves.
B leaves the center as A enters it in the same move. B reaches its place on the right and settles. The arrow turns down, with A now directly above its own place. One move remains.
Select only A. It moves from the center to the bottom center and settles. B stays in place. The puzzle is complete in two moves.
Why the other first moves fail
Select A alone: B is staying in the center, so A cannot enter that square. The whole attempt is blocked and costs no move. Selecting B as well opens the path.
Move B alone first: this is legal, but B settles and turns the arrow down while A is still on the left. You have one move left. Moving A down reaches the bottom-left square, not its place at the bottom center. You have lost the chance to carry A right before the direction changes.
The shared move does two jobs: it finishes B and puts A in position for the next direction. Before settling a piece, look at where its companions will be left.
2. Count arrivals before choosing the group.
The arrow turns once for every piece that settles. Two arrivals in one move mean two clockwise quarter-turns, so the next direction is opposite the current one. You can use that change to help a piece you leave still.
A is at the top left and B is at the middle left, each one square left of its place. C is at the bottom right, one square right of its place. The arrow points right. You have two moves.
A and B reach their places together. Each arrival turns the arrow 90 degrees clockwise: right to down, then down to left. C has not moved. One move remains, and the arrow now points toward C’s place.
Select only C and move it one square left. It reaches the bottom-center place. All three pieces are settled in two moves.
Why selecting more is not always better
Select all three at the start: C would leave the right edge. That blocks the entire group, including A and B; nothing moves and no move is spent. Leave C unselected for the first move.
Move only A first: one arrival turns the arrow down. With one move left, B is still left of its place and C is still right of its place. Neither can reach its destination by moving down. Finishing A and B together is what gives C the leftward move it needs.
Count how many selected pieces will arrive, then work out the new arrow. Check the pieces that did not move, too: the new direction applies to them.
A short check before you move.
- Check every selected piece’s next square. Edges, fixed obstacles, another piece’s matching place and a piece that is staying put can block the whole group. An unselected piece does not have to be able to move.
- Count new arrivals. Start with the current arrow and turn it clockwise once per arrival. Settled pieces stay put; select only pieces that still need to travel.
- Plan the following move. Look at the remaining pieces from their new positions. The nearest destination is not always the one to finish first.
- Check the budget. Moving several pieces together spends one move. A legal move can still leave too few moves to finish, as the wrong first choices above show.
In the game, enable Move preview from the menu to inspect a selection before committing. The preview helps with the immediate move; you still need to think through what happens after the arrow turns. If you are unsure why something is blocked, player support explains each kind of obstacle and how Undo and Hint work.
Try these ideas in today’s Tide Archive puzzle. Laisha Technology develops the game at ta.jxdc.win and maintains these guides and support pages here on jxdc.win.