Sliding eight tiles: rules and printable materials

Slide one tile into the neighboring blank until the eight numbers return to order.

Players

1–4

Plan for

10–20 minutes

Bring

Three-by-three mat, eight numbered tiles and move log

Prepare a reachable start

The target is rows 1–2–3, 4–5–6, 7–8–blank. Use eight tiles, not a ninth blank token. Begin with the printed easy layout: 1–2–3, 4–blank–6, 7–5–8. Place tiles onto the mat in that order. Keep the host key out of view. For one to four people, one person moves while others suggest; rotate the mover every three moves.

Slide, do not swap freely

On each move, slide exactly one tile horizontally or vertically from a cell sharing a side with the blank into that blank. Its old cell becomes the blank. No diagonal steps, lifted jumps, tile rotations or simultaneous row shifts. Record the number moved, not the blank’s position. You may undo a move by sliding the same tile back; that is another recorded move.

Worked solution

From the easy start, slide tile 5 upward into the centre blank. The bottom-middle cell is now blank. Slide tile 8 left into it. The target has been restored in two moves. This short example teaches the operation; use the second printed layout for a longer attempt: 2–3–6, 1–blank–5, 4–7–8.

Check the longer layout

One valid solution to the second layout moves tiles 5, 6, 3, 2, 1, 4, 7, 8, in that order. Every move must be adjacent at the time it is made; do not merely reorder tiles according to the list. Verify all three rows and the final lower-right blank. Stop on success or after the agreed fifteen-minute exploration period, then walk through the key together.

Avoid unsolvable random shuffles

Do not randomly scatter all eight tiles into the grid and promise a solution. Instead, start at the target and make a recorded series of legal slides to create another reachable puzzle; reverse that series for a checked route back. More moves are not automatically a higher difficulty rating. A helper may move tiles on directions, and a solo player may use both roles.

Printable materials

Preview at 100% scale, with browser headers and footers off. Cut with suitable help. Keep host keys separate. This is a manual tabletop kit, not an online opponent, automatic judge or solver.