Why won't this piece seat?

Check that it is at its matching picture position, has a direct seated neighbour if it is a middle piece, and is not blocked by a loose fragment. For a drag, slow down before releasing near the slot. You can also select the piece and tap its square.

Do pieces need rotating?

No. Every piece starts the right way up. Use the picture, flat sides and adjoining cut edges to find its position.

Do I need to finish the border first?

No. You need a direct seated neighbour, not a finished frame.

Which picture and piece count should I start with?

Try 16 pieces and a picture with clear objects or colour boundaries. Increase the count when you are comfortable with placement. Pictures with repeated patterns or broad areas of similar colour can be challenging even at the same count.

How to play

How to play jigsaw

Find the corners, connect the edges and build the picture inward. Learn the rules with a worked board, then try five practical tips with examples and exercises.

Play with others Play solo Read the rules

The picture grows from its frame. A middle piece needs a seated neighbour.

Start here

Your first three pieces

Step 1 of 4

Read the complete picture. Notice the buildings and the boundaries between colours.

Start with 16 pieces. Read the picture, place a corner, then follow a matching edge inward.

In the game, drag a piece and release slowly near its position, or select it and tap the square. A drop elsewhere on the board parks the piece; an off-board drop returns it to the tray.

The basics

Rules of the game

Match each fragment to its picture position

Each piece starts the right way up and seats only in its matching square. An on-board drag elsewhere leaves it loose; a tap on a wrong square is refused. Seated pieces are fixed; loose pieces can still be moved.

Practise reading the picture

Start from a border position

An edge piece can seat in its correct border position without a neighbour. Flat sides tell you which side of the picture to check; they do not make every border position interchangeable.

Practise corners and edges

Connect middle pieces to a seated neighbour

A middle piece needs a seated piece directly above, below, left or right. Diagonal contact and loose pieces do not count.

Practise building inward

Keep the target square clear

A loose piece covering a square can block the correct fragment. Move it aside or return it to the tray. The picture is complete when every piece is seated.

Practise clearing a blocked square

Practise one skill

Jigsaw tips

Need the buttons, clock or room rules? Read Playing on Puzzled for Edges and layers, Shuffle, Hint and its 30-second penalty, saving and standings.

Choose your challenge

Pictures and piece counts

Piece count is the difficulty setting: 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100, 144. The picture matters too. Strong landmarks and clear boundaries are useful starting points; repeated textures and broad low-detail areas give you fewer clues.