Your first round
- Find two or more equal neighbors and inspect the numbers beside their possible endpoints.
- Tap a starting square and extend the chain through matching edge-adjacent squares.
- Finish beside a number one higher when possible, then select Merge chain.
- Use the new value in another chain. Keep a rescue shuffle for a board with no available pair.
Worked example
Place the next merge
Two adjacent 3s can make a 4. If one of those 3s sits beside an existing 4, end your chain on that square. After merging, the new 4 and the existing 4 can connect to make a 5.
Build your strategy
- Plan at least one merge beyond the current chain instead of maximizing its length automatically.
- Use short chains when their endpoint placement is more useful than the extra points of a longer chain.
- A shuffle rearranges values and is not guaranteed to create a pair; spend it deliberately.
Common mistakes
- Expecting diagonal squares to connect.
- Ending a chain far from the matching higher number you intended to combine with next.
Try this next
On Easy, make a 4 beside another 4 on purpose. Repeat that endpoint planning as you work toward the target of 6.
Play Number Chain ↗