The basics
Each player draws 7 number tiles. On your turn, place one or more tiles in a single row or column, touching the tiles already on the board. Every line of touching tiles, across and down, has to read as a true equation.
You never place symbols. You only place digits, and the game works out where the operator and the equals sign go.
How lines are read
A 9 and a 2 sit on the board with an empty square between them.
Drop a 7 in the gap, and the line reads as 9 − 7 = 2.
Add 6, 7 and 1, and the whole line is read again. Digits next to each other join into bigger numbers, so it now reads as 97 − 26 = 71.
Equation rules
- Every equation has exactly one operator and one equals sign. Operators are + − × ÷.
- The equals sign can come last or first. 972 reads as 9 − 7 = 2, and 297 reads as 2 = 9 − 7.
- Lines are read left to right and top to bottom.
- Adding 0, subtracting 0, multiplying by 0 and dividing 0 don’t count. Results of 0 are fine: 7 − 7 = 0 works.
- Division has to come out even, and results can’t be negative.
- Numbers with more than one digit can’t start with 0.
- Two tiles side by side can never be an equation, so every line of touching tiles needs at least 3.
Placing tiles
- All the tiles you place in a turn go in one row or one column, with no gaps between them. Tiles already on the board can sit between yours.
- The first play of the game covers the star in the middle and uses at least 3 tiles.
- After that, every play has to touch a tile that’s already on the board.
- The second player starts with 8 tiles instead of 7, to make up for going second. After their first play, racks refill to 7.
Scoring
Each line you make is scored separately, and the scores are added together. A line scores the points of every tile in it, including tiles that were already on the board.
| Digits | Points each |
|---|---|
| 1, 2, 3 | 1 |
| 4, 5, 6 | 2 |
| 7, 8, 9, 0 | 3 |
| Square | What it does |
|---|---|
| 2T | Doubles the points of the tile placed on it. |
| 3T | Triples the points of the tile placed on it. |
| 2E | Doubles the whole equation. |
| 3E | Triples the whole equation. |
- Premium squares only count on the turn a tile is placed on them.
- Tile multipliers apply first, then equation multipliers.
- An equation that uses × or ÷ earns +5, added after multipliers.
- Using all 7 tiles in one play earns +20.
Example: you place a 7 between a 9 and a 2, and your 7 is on a 2E square. The line 9 − 7 = 2 scores (3 + 3 + 1) × 2 = 14 points.
Other turn options
- Swap: trade any of your tiles for new ones from the bag. It uses your turn and scores nothing.
- Pass: skip your turn.
- Show a move: the game places a move for you, but it costs points: 50% of that move’s score against the Easy computer, 75% against Medium, and 100% against Hard or another person. From your 4th hint in a game, every hint costs 100%. You get one hint per turn. Hints aren’t available in online games.
Ending the game
- The game ends when the bag is empty and a player uses their last tile, or after 6 scoreless turns in a row.
- The points on any tiles left in your rack are subtracted from your score. A player who uses their last tile also collects the other player’s leftover points.
Workbench
Tap a tile on the board, or drag across a line of tiles, to pick a base. Then open the Workbench. It shows your base tiles and your own tiles, plus calculator keys.
- Tap tiles and symbols to build an equation. The Workbench does the math as you go.
- It checks that you used every base tile in order, with your tiles only before or after them, and that the play fits on the board.
- When everything checks out, it shows the score and can place the tiles for you. You still press Play to score them.
- With no base selected, it works as scratch math.
Online games
- Choose New game, then Online, then Start a game. You get a 6-character code and a link to send.
- Your friend chooses Join a game and enters the code, or opens your link.
- Take turns whenever you like. The board updates when the other player moves.
- Your game is saved on the device you started or joined it on. Open My games there to switch to it. You can have several online games going at once.
Puzzles
- A puzzle gives you a partly built board with outlined empty squares, and exactly the tiles needed to fill them.
- Fill every outlined square so every line is true, then press Check. Lines that don’t work turn red.
- Any arrangement that works counts.
- Reveal a tile places one correct tile for you and adds 30 seconds to your time.
- The daily puzzle is the same for everyone and changes at midnight your time. Random puzzles come in Easy (5 tiles), Medium (8) and Hard (11).