Belts

A new Belts puzzle every day

Everyone gets the same grid each day, and a new one arrives at midnight your time. Monday and Tuesday are 3 by 3, with a par of four or five; Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 4 by 4, par six; and Friday and Saturday 4 by 4, par seven. You're ranked by moves, then by time.

Solve it on consecutive days to build a streak, then share your result: it shows your moves against the par, your time and how many hints you used. Every grid is a scramble a computer has solved in the fewest moves, so par can always be matched.

How to play Belts

1. The grid is a picture of colored tiles that blend smoothly from corner to corner, and it's been scrambled. The goal beside it shows how it should look.
2. Every row and every column is a conveyor belt. Drag a row sideways or a column up or down: the whole belt runs with it, and tiles that run off one end come back on at the other.
3. One drag is one move, however far the belt runs, and running the same belt again straight away only changes how far that move goes. Put every tile back in its place in as few moves as you can.

On a computer, pick a tile with the arrow keys and hold Shift with an arrow to run its belt one place that way. Undo has no limit, and Ctrl+Z takes a move back off your count. Every grid has a par, the fewest moves that solve it, worked out by a computer. You're ranked by moves, then by time. If the colors are hard to tell apart, turn on numbers in the settings.

Solving tips

• Look for runs. Tiles that already sit side by side in the right order, even in the wrong place, usually belong to one belt that only needs running round.
• Work backwards. Each puzzle is a short scramble. Ask which last move would finish it: often one row or column is the only thing out of line.
• Watch what you take along. Running a row moves one tile in every column, so a fix in one place can undo another. Count the tiles you disturb before you drag.
• Stuck? A hint rings the belt to run next and shows which way, with an arrow for each place, on a way to finish in par. If a move has gone wrong, it says how many to take back: undo is free.