How to play
- Drag a piece onto the board. Three pieces wait in the tray. A shadow shows where the piece will land before you let go.
- Fill a line to clear it. When every cell of a row or a column holds a stone, the whole line clears. Rows and columns can clear at the same time.
- Place all three, get three more. A new set of pieces arrives once the tray is empty.
- Keep going while something fits. The game ends when none of the pieces in your tray can be placed anywhere.
Scoring
| Move | Points |
|---|---|
| Placing a piece | 1 point for every stone in it |
| Clearing one line | 80 points (10 for each of its 8 stones) |
| Clearing two lines at once | 240 points: the second line counts double |
| Clearing three lines at once | About 480 points: the third counts triple |
| Clearing again on the next moves | The clear is multiplied by your combo: ×2, ×3 and up |
| Emptying a busy board | 300 bonus points |
Combos are where big scores come from. A combo survives two moves without a clear, so you can place a piece or two to set up the next line and still keep the chain alive.
Habits that raise your score
- Look at all three pieces before you move. The order matters. Place the awkward piece while there is still room for it, and keep the small ones for filling gaps.
- Keep the middle open. Building from the edges and corners leaves a large free area where the big 3 by 3 square and the five-long bars can still land.
- Never leave single holes. A lone empty cell surrounded by stones can only be filled by the single stone, which is rare. If a move creates a hole, look for a better spot.
- Work on two lines at once. Filling a row and a column that cross lets one piece clear both, which scores far more than two separate clears.
- Stay under half full. When more than half the board is covered, the big pieces stop fitting. Clear something before you add more.
- Read the faded pieces. A piece that turns faded no longer fits anywhere. Use the other pieces to open space for it before the tray runs out.
The daily challenge
Each day everyone gets the same pieces in the same order, so scores are directly comparable. Play it as often as you like; your best score of the day counts, and finishing a daily game on the day keeps your daily streak going. Share your score to see how friends did with the very same pieces.
How the pieces are chosen
In the classic game the pieces are random, picked from 37 shapes: single stones, bars from two to five long, corners, squares, tees, zigzags, big L shapes and the 3 by 3 block. Small pieces are a little more common early on and big pieces become more frequent as your score grows. Before offering a set, the game tries many random sets, prefers one whose three pieces can all be placed on your board, and leans towards sets that let you clear a line when the board is getting crowded. It never moves your stones or changes the rules; it only chooses which of many random sets to show you.
Questions
- Is Pebble Blocks free?
- Yes. It runs in your browser with no download and no account. A short ad may appear between games, never during one.
- Can I rotate the pieces?
- No. Pieces go on the board exactly as they are shown, which is what makes planning ahead matter.
- Why do some pieces look faded?
- A faded piece does not fit anywhere on the board right now. Clearing a line may make room for it.
- How do combos work?
- Clear a line, then clear again on your next move, or within two moves after that, and your combo grows. Each clear is multiplied by the combo number, so a run of clears scores far more than the same lines cleared one at a time.
- What happens when nothing fits?
- The game ends and your score is saved. Once per game you can keep going: the two fullest rows and columns are cleared and you carry on with your score.
- Is my game saved if I close the page?
- Yes. The game in progress, your best score and your statistics are kept in your browser on this device.
- Can I play without dragging?
- Yes. Tap a piece to pick it up and tap the board where it should go. With a keyboard, press 1, 2 or 3 to pick a piece, move it with the arrow keys and press Enter to place it.