10×10

A ten by ten grid and three pieces at a time to fit into it. Complete rows and columns disappear and free up space. No timer, no gravity, no rotation: pieces go down exactly as they come.

How to play

The grid is 10×10 and starts empty. Three pieces at a time appear below it, drawn from a catalogue of nineteen shapes: single squares, bars of two to five, 2×2 and 3×3 squares, corners. You drag them onto any free spot. Once all three are placed, three more arrive.

Any row or column that is completely full disappears and frees up the space. The game ends when none of the three pieces in hand fits anywhere — and since pieces cannot be rotated, that happens sooner than you would think: a horizontal five-bar goes down horizontal, full stop.

Scoring works like this: one point per cell placed, plus a bonus for the lines cleared in the same move. The bonus is not linear, and that is the interesting part of the game:

• 1 line: 10 points
• 2 lines together: 30
• 3 lines: 60
• 4 lines: 100
• 5 lines: 150

Clearing five lines one at a time is worth 50 points; clearing them in the same move is worth 150. People who score high are not playing faster: they are setting up double clears.

On Pocket Games

Pieces are dragged up from the tray at the bottom. While you move one it travels a little above your finger, so you do not cover it, and its shadow appears on the grid where it will land; if it does not fit there, the shadow changes colour and on release the piece goes back to the tray.

Each piece is drawn at random from the nineteen shapes, all equally likely, and repeats are possible. The set of three is not chosen by looking at the grid: if none of the pieces fits, the game ends right there.

So the 3×3 turns up on average once every nineteen pieces. Every shape, in every orientation, always has the same colour.

• The undo button at the top takes back the last move. There is one free undo per game; in the app, once it is used, each extra undo costs a video, with no limit, while on the web there is no video. The move that ends the game cannot be undone.
• The game is saved after every move, together with the unused undo: leaving and coming back does not hand you a second one.
• Your best score updates during the game itself and syncs with your account.

Strategy

Look at all three pieces before placing any of them. That is rule one. Putting the first piece somewhere comfortable and then discovering the 3×3 square no longer fits is the standard way to lose.

The big piece is the enemy. The 3×3 square and the five-bars need compact space. Always keeping a 3×3 area free somewhere — usually towards the middle — is more important than gaining ten points now.

Fill from the edges inwards. Edges and corners are where small pieces do the least damage: parking them there keeps the middle clean for the big ones.

Do not leave single-cell holes. A lone cell trapped between two pieces can only be filled by the single square, which may not turn up for five turns. An incomplete row beats a grid full of pinholes.

Set up double lines. A row and a column both missing the same crossing cell: the right square there scores thirty points instead of ten. It costs a few turns of patience and doubles your final score.

Common mistakes

• Playing to clear lines immediately. Lines are not the score: they are space. Clearing early and badly leaves the grid fragmented.
• Treating the middle as ordinary space. Nowhere else can host a 3×3, and once it is dirty it does not easily come back.
• Forgetting the third piece. You place three before receiving more: if the third does not fit, the turn is dead even if the first two were perfect.

Frequently asked questions

Can pieces be rotated?

No. Every orientation is a shape of its own: the horizontal five-bar and the vertical one are two different pieces, each with its own colour, and they go down the way they arrive.

How do I undo a move?

With the undo button in the top bar, which goes back to the position before the last piece you placed. One is free in every game and covers a single move; after that, in the app, you can earn another by watching a video, as many times as you like.

Can I stop and resume later?

Yes. The grid, the pieces in hand, the score and the available undo are saved on every move. The start screen then shows Continue with the score you had reached.

Does my record survive if I change phone?

Yes, if you sign in with your account: the best score is synced and keeps the highest one across your devices. The game in progress, however, stays on the device where you left it.

More games to try

• 2048
• 15 Puzzle
• Sudoku

See the full list of games, or open Pocket Games in your browser: they are free and you don’t need an account.