About Puzzle 36
Puzzle 36 is a jigsaw made for a short break. A photograph is cut into a six-by-six grid, and the whole picture stays on the board, faded, as your guide. Pieces wait in a tray below it, six at a time; drag one onto the spot where it belongs and it locks in. Drop it in the wrong spot and it simply returns to the tray, with no penalty but the seconds it cost you.
Before you start, choose what to piece together: animals, landmarks and places to travel to around the world, or food, fruit and dishes from every kitchen. Every photo on this site is free of copyright and credited when you finish it. Your record is the time from the first piece to the last, measured by our server to a hundredth of a second, and the leaderboard is monthly: it resets on the 1st of every month at 00:00 UTC.
How to play
- Choose a category — Animals, Landmarks & travel, Food & fruit, or Surprise me — and press Start.
- The faded photo fills the board, and the clock starts as soon as it has loaded.
- Drag a piece from the tray onto the board with your mouse or finger. On the right spot it locks in; anywhere else it goes back. You can also tap a piece and then tap a spot.
- The tray shows six pieces at a time; scroll it sideways to see the rest. The bar at the top counts the pieces in place.
- Stuck? Press Helper and the game places one piece for you. You get one helper a round, or three if you watch a short video before you start.
- You can start three rounds an hour, and three more each hour after a short video.
Tips
- Start with the pieces that carry the most detail — an eye, a sign, a dome — and leave the sky and the plain backgrounds for last.
- Look at the edges of a piece, not only its middle: a line that runs off one side has to continue on the next piece.
- Corners and edges are the easiest to place. Clearing them first leaves fewer spots to choose from.
- Keep the helper for the end, when only plain pieces are left and they all look alike.
- A wrong drop costs time, not points. When two spots look equally likely, try the closer one.
Questions players ask
When does the leaderboard reset?
On the 1st of every month at 00:00 UTC. The final standings are kept: the top three of each month receive an honour on their profile, and your best time never resets.
Where do the photos come from?
Every photo is either dedicated to the public domain (CC0) or marked as being in it, so it is free to use. The photographer is credited at the end of each round.
Does a helper make my time count less?
No. A helper places one piece for you and your time counts as usual; the helpers are limited so that every player has the same number.
Why only three rounds an hour?
It keeps the monthly board about skill rather than stamina, and makes every round worth playing carefully. A short video unlocks three more rounds each hour.
Do I need an account to play?
No. Press Start and you play straight away under a guest name. Sign in with an account you already have to put your time on the monthly leaderboard.