Matchstick Puzzle

How to play

• Each puzzle is an equation made of matchsticks, and it’s wrong. Move the given number of matches to make it true: 1 match in Easy and Medium, 2 matches in Hard. In Add/Take you add one match or take one away instead of moving. In Shapes, you move (or take) a set number of matches from a figure made of squares to change how many squares it has. Triangles works the same way with a figure made of triangles.
• Tap a match to pick it up, and dotted lines show where it can go. Tap a dotted line to put the match there. You can also drag a match. Tap the lifted match again to put it back down.
• As soon as you’ve moved the required number of matches, you’ll see whether the equation is true. If it isn’t, tap a match you moved to move it somewhere else, or press Undo to take a step back.
• Add/Take puzzles have a tray below the equation. In a take puzzle, tap the match to remove and it moves to the tray (tap it there to put it back). In an add puzzle, tap a dotted spot and the match from the tray goes there.
• In Shapes, every square whose four sides are complete counts, whatever its size (a 2×2 grid has 4 small squares and 1 large one, so 5). Any match that isn’t part of a square means the puzzle isn’t solved yet. In take puzzles the match you tap disappears on the spot; tap the dotted line where it was to put it back. In Triangles, every triangle whose three sides are complete counts, pointing up or down and whatever its size (a big triangle made of 9 matches has 4 small triangles and 1 large one, so 5).
• You can move the matches of +, − and = too, not just the digits. Take the vertical match out of a + and it becomes a −. Matches can’t be broken or stacked, and can only go on the dotted spots.
• Stuck? Hint makes the match to move glow; press it again to also see where it goes. Answer moves the matches into the solution for you (that puzzle won’t count as solved).
• Easy, Medium, Hard and Add/Take have 100 puzzles each, Shapes has 76, Triangles has 44, and you can pick any of them from Puzzles. The daily puzzle is the same for everyone and changes every day. If you leave in the middle of a puzzle, you can pick up where you left off next time.

Matchstick digits and how many matches each uses

The digits are built like the numbers on a digital clock, with a match in up to seven positions. Each digit uses a different number of matches, and knowing the counts makes the puzzles much easier. The number under each digit is how many matches it uses.

Digits that one match can change (tips)

Moving a single match changes a digit in only a few ways. Keep this table in mind and you’ll quickly spot which digits can change.

• Watch the + and −: take the vertical match out of a + and it becomes a −; add one to a − and it becomes a +. Switching between addition and subtraction often fixes the equation.
• Compare both sides: work out how far apart the left and right sides are, then think about which digit would have to change, and by how much.
• Count the matches: moving a match never changes the total. A one-match move either takes a match from one symbol and gives it to another (that’s also how a + becomes a −), or moves a match within the same digit.

Matchstick puzzles with answers

Easy #1 (move 1 match)

Easy #3 (move 1 match)

Hard #1 (move 2 matches)

Add/Take #1 (add 1 match)

Add/Take #2 (take 1 match)

Shapes #1 (move 1 match)

What is a matchstick puzzle?

A matchstick puzzle asks you to move (or sometimes remove or add) a set number of matchsticks to turn a false equation into a true one, or to change a figure into a given shape. It takes insight more than arithmetic, which is why matchstick puzzles are popular brain teasers for kids and adults alike. Besides equations, classic matchstick puzzles include changing the number of squares in a grid and making a fish swim the other way. This free matchstick game has 400 addition and subtraction puzzles, including add-one and take-one puzzles, shape puzzles that change the number of squares or triangles, and a new daily puzzle every day.