Learn to play

Articles

• Chess How to play chess: the basic rules to get started Chess takes an afternoon to learn and a lifetime to enjoy. This guide covers everything you need for your first full game: the board, the pieces, the goal and how a game ends. Read
• Chess Castling in chess: what it is, when you can and how to do it Castling is the only move in chess where two pieces move at once: the king and a rook. It gets the king to safety and brings the rook into play in a single move. Read
• Chess En passant and promotion: the pawn’s two special moves The pawn is the humblest piece, but it has two special moves that surprise beginners: en passant capture and promotion. Read
• Solitaire How to play Klondike Solitaire: the rules step by step Klondike is the best-known one-player card game in the world. The rules fit on one page; winning often takes a little method. Read
• Solitaire Strategies to win more games of Solitaire Not every game of Solitaire can be won, but many that look lost can be saved with the right priorities. These tips work for both Draw 1 and Draw 3. Read
• Chess Chess tactics: forks, pins, skewers and discovered attacks Most games between club players aren’t decided by grand plans but by a tactic: a move that wins material because the opponent can’t deal with two things at once. These are the four that come up most, and how to look for them on every move. Read
• Chess Basic chess endgames: the checkmates you need to know Winning material is no use if you can’t deliver mate afterwards. These basic endgames come up again and again, and a couple of simple techniques win them every time. You’ll also see the trap that gives away the most half points: stalemate. Read
• Minesweeper Advanced Minesweeper: reduction, mine counting and better guesses Once you recognise the 1-1 and the 1-2-1, the next step is reasoning with overlapping numbers, using the mine counter in the endgame and, when there’s no other way, guessing with judgement. It’s what separates finishing the Hard board from getting stuck halfway. Read
• Vexply Geography How to learn the world’s capitals and flags without losing your mind There are 193 countries, each with a capital and a flag. Memorising them all at once is impossible, but with a plan and a few tricks you learn far faster than you’d expect. Here’s how to use Vexply’s Geography game to study. Read
• Gloamreach Builds in Gloamreach: tags, synergies and curses In Gloamreach the difference between falling on the second floor and reaching the Abyss is rarely the weapon: it’s the build. This article explains how to make one, with the game’s real numbers. Read

Strategy guides

• 2048 2048 guide: a strategy to reach 2048 (and beyond) In 2048 the winner isn’t the fastest thinker but the one who keeps the board in order. This guide explains the method that players who almost always reach 2048 use, and how to adapt it to each Vexply board and mode. Read
• Minesweeper Minesweeper guide: how to read the numbers and win Minesweeper looks like luck, but almost everything is solved with logic. This guide goes from the basics (what each number means) to the patterns fast players use to clear the Hard board. Read
• Sudoku Sudoku guide: from obvious cells to the X-Wing A Sudoku is solved with a handful of techniques you learn in order. This guide follows the same path Vexply uses to grade its puzzles: once you’ve got a section down, you’re ready for the matching level. Read
• Word Search Word search guide: how to find words faster Finding words looks like a matter of good eyesight, but fast players follow a method. These techniques work on paper and on screen, and in Vexply they’re enough for the Expert level. Read
• Checkers Checkers guide: rules, openings and how to beat the computer Checkers looks simple (every piece moves the same way) but it runs deep: it took the world’s strongest program almost twenty years to solve the game. This guide sums up what matters most to start winning. Read
• Gloamreach Gloamreach guide: classes, builds, bosses and secrets Gloamreach punishes haste and rewards reading: every enemy warns before it strikes and every door says what lies behind it. This guide covers what helps you go from the first boss to the Abyss. Read

How each game is played

Every game has a short explanation of its rules and controls on its own page.

• 2048 Slide, combine, and reach 2048. Easy to learn, impossible to put down.
• Astrobreak Fly a ship with real momentum and smash the asteroids before they get you.
• Checkers Checkers on an 8×8 board: mandatory captures, multi-jumps and crowning. Against the computer or with a friend.
• Chess Checkmate the AI on four levels or play a friend, with a clock and every rule.
• Chinchón Draw, discard and build sets and runs with the Spanish deck; close before your rival does.
• Daily Word Six tries to guess today’s word, with colour clues. A new one every day.
• Escoba Make 15 with the cards on the table, sweep it for escobas and collect coins and sevens.
• Football Career Create an 18-year-old footballer and live their whole career: transfers, titles, national team and retirement.
• Gloamreach A dark-fantasy dungeon roguelite: real-time combat, nine classes, relics that make builds, bosses and a camp that grows.
• Hangman Guess the word letter by letter before the drawing is complete. Words in your language.
• Memory Cards Find every pair in as few moves as you can. Three boards, from 12 to 36 cards.
• Minesweeper Clear the field without setting off a single mine. Pure logic, from 9×9 up to 30×16.
• Nimbo One tap, one boost. Guide a little drone between girders and towers without touching a thing.
• Pong The original paddle duel: the ball speeds up with every hit. Against the AI or a friend.
• Snake Eat, grow, don't crash. The all-time classic, straight in your browser.
• Solitaire Classic Klondike: draw 1 or 3, build up the suits and beat your best time.
• Sudoku Fill the 9×9 grid without repeating a number. Four genuine levels and a daily Sudoku.
• Tic Tac Toe Three in a row against an AI that doesn’t forgive, or two players on one screen.
• Truco Argentine truco against the computer: truco, retruco, vale cuatro and envido, to 30 or 15.
• Vexply Blocks Fit the falling pieces together and fill rows to clear them before they reach the top.
• Vexply Geography Capitals, countries, flags, continents and a map: five games to test what you know about the world.
• Word Search Find the hidden words in every direction. Words that belong to your language.