About Matchstick Equations
At an alchemist’s candlelit calculation table, every equation is drawn from glowing wooden matches. Lift one stick and set it into an empty engraved socket to change a digit or the plus or minus sign.
All 240 fixed tablets are open from the start. Eighty need one move; the rest need two. The shelves grow more deceptive, and some tablets have several correct final equations. Every mathematically true ending made in the shown number of moves counts.
Undo or Restart lets you try a different idea while the clock keeps running. Your first solve time is saved for each tablet. The named best appears on shelf cards and beside the clock; the game page trophy shows the rankings.
How to play
- Goal
- Make the matchstick equation mathematically true using the shown number of moves.
- How it ends
- A tablet is won when its digits and sign form a true equation after exactly that many stick moves; there is no loss.
- Record
- Your first-solve time is kept for each tablet, with a verified best beside it and on the page trophy.
- Tap a glowing match, then an empty socket to move it. A stick may move within its own digit, to another digit, or between a plus sign and another socket. The equals sign stays fixed.
- Use exactly the number of moves printed above the slate. The final digits and sign must be complete, and the equation must be mathematically true. Any true ending wins, even when a tablet has several answers.
- Undo reverses one move. Restart restores the sticks but keeps the clock running. Only your first solve can set a time record.
Controls
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Tap / click a lit stick, then an empty socket | Move the match |
| Arrow keys | Move keyboard focus between sockets |
| Enter / Space | Select or place the focused match |
| U | Undo the last move |
| Escape | Cancel selection or return to the shelves |
Good to know
The clock starts on opening a tablet and continues across return visits and Restarts. Progress stays in this browser.
