Sliding puzzle (15 puzzle)

The classic 15 puzzle, or your photo.

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Keyboard: arrow keys slide a tile into the gap, Space starts a new puzzle. On a phone, tap or swipe a tile.

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How to play the sliding puzzle

  1. Pick a size: 3 × 3 is quick, 4 × 4 is the classic 15 puzzle, 5 × 5 is a long challenge. Press Use a photo to play with your own picture.
  2. Click or tap a tile next to the gap to slide it in. A tile further along the same row or column slides the whole line at once. Arrow keys work too.
  3. Put the tiles in order, 1 to 15 left to right and top to bottom with the gap last. Tiles in their right place get a green edge.

The history of the 15 puzzle

The 15 puzzle became a craze in the United States in 1880, with people playing it at work, at home and on the street. It was invented by Noyes Chapman, a postmaster in Canastota, New York, who made a version in 1874. Some challenges offered prizes for arrangements that can’t be solved: mathematicians had already proved in 1879 that only half of all arrangements can be.