Pocket Games
Memory
Memory is not won by the person with the best memory: it is won by the person who turns cards over in a sensible order. It is a game where technique beats talent almost embarrassingly, which is why children so often beat adults.
The rules
All the cards are face down, in pairs. You turn two at a time: if they match they stay up, otherwise they flip back. You finish when every pair has been found.
What counts is not time, it is the number of tries: each pair of cards you turn is one try, and your record is the lowest number you have finished a grid with. Pocket Games has three sizes — 4×4 (8 pairs), 4×6 (12 pairs) and 6×6 (18 pairs) — each with its own record, synced across devices if you play with a Google account.
The theoretical limit
It is worth knowing what is achievable. With 8 pairs the absolute minimum is 8 tries, which would mean hitting every pair first time, and requires luck that never repeats. A player who remembers everything they have seen closes a 4×4 in 11 to 13 tries: a few exploratory turns at the start, then nothing but certain pairs. On the 6×6, anything under twenty-five tries is an excellent game.
How to cut your number of tries
Turn cards in order, not at random. This makes the biggest difference by far. Sweeping the grid row by row builds an orderly mental map, and position is far easier to remember when it belongs to a sequence rather than sitting in isolation.
If the first card is new, use the second to explore. When you turn up a card you have never seen and have no idea where its twin is, the second move is not wasted: spend it on another unknown card, so every try adds two pieces of information instead of one.
If you know the first card, close immediately. The moment you have a certain pair, take it. Putting it off to "explore a bit more" is the best way to forget it.
Remember positions, not pictures. Spatial memory is more reliable than visual memory: "top right there was a pair of that yellow thing" works better than trying to recall the exact drawing.
Group things in chunks. Remembering twelve individual positions is impossible; remembering three groups of four is within anyone’s reach. It is the same trick that makes phone numbers memorable.
Why children do better
It is a common observation, and the most convincing explanation is that adults try to verbalise — to narrate what they are seeing — while children simply memorise where the image is. In a game where all you need to know is where something sits, translating it into words is an extra step that buys you nothing.
It works as practical advice even if the explanation turned out to be wrong: stop saying the name of the picture in your head and just look at where it is.
Frequently asked questions
Should I play fast?
There is no clock, so there is no need. In fact two extra seconds spent looking at a new card are worth more than ten tries saved on speed.
Is the bigger grid just longer?
No, it is qualitatively different. On the 4×4 you hold everything in your head without effort; from the 6×6 up you genuinely need a method, because the cards you have seen and not yet matched are too many for working memory.
Is the game suitable for children?
It is probably the most child-friendly game there is: rules in one sentence, no manual skill, no time limit. And, as above, they often win.
Is the score synced?
Yes, the record for each size travels with your Google account if you use one. As a guest it stays on the device.
More games to try
See the full list of games, or open Pocket Games in your browser: they are free and you don’t need an account.