Zen Ten MatchHow to Play Zen Ten Match
Zen Ten Match is a calm daily number puzzle that doubles as meditation. The rules fit in one sentence: cross off pairs of numbers that are equal or add up to ten, until the board is clear.
The game takes about a minute to learn. The rest of this page covers the details, with examples.
The board
A puzzle starts as a grid of digits from 1 to 9, nine numbers to a row and about four rows deep. When you match two numbers, both disappear and their cells stay empty. Nothing slides or falls into the gaps, so the shape of the board only changes where you clear it.
What counts as a match
Two numbers match if they are equal (4 and 4) or if they add up to 10 (3 and 7). That gives you five kinds of pairs:
- 1 and 9
- 2 and 8
- 3 and 7
- 4 and 6
- any number with itself, such as 5 and 5
A 5 is special: since 5 + 5 = 10, a 5 can only ever pair with another 5.
Where the two numbers have to be
The two numbers must be on the same row, column or diagonal, and every cell between them on that line must be empty. Numbers that touch always qualify. Numbers further apart qualify once the cells between them have been cleared.
There is one more path, the wrap. Read the board like a page of text: the last number in a row can match the first number in the next row.
The Add button
Sooner or later you will run out of matches. Press Add, and every number still on the board is copied, in reading order, onto new rows at the bottom. That gives you new matches, but also more numbers to clear, so use it when you are truly stuck.
Winning the daily puzzle
Every day there is one daily puzzle, and everyone in the world gets the same board. You win the day by clearing every number using no more than five Adds. If you run out of Adds with numbers still on the board, that attempt is over, but you can try the same board again as many times as you like until midnight.
Every win earns a title based on how few matches you used compared with the best solution our solver found. Match the best solution exactly and you are a Zen Master. Below that, the titles run Enlightened One, Master, Disciple, Pilgrim, Seeker, Wanderer and Student. Every clear is a win, whatever the title.
Win on consecutive days to build a streak. You can see every past puzzle on the Daily Games page.
Other ways to play
- Classic: your own endless run. Each round is a fresh board with five Adds. Clear it, move on to the next, and build one continuous score.
- Zen: no losing and no limits. Unlimited Adds and no clock, just you and the numbers.
Assists
Hints, undos and the other helpers each use one Assist. You start with a supply, and a free Assist arrives every few hours. There is never a timer, so you can always stop, breathe, and look again.