Interactive sequential puzzle
Sliding Fifteen Puzzle
Slide numbered tiles into the empty space until the grid runs from 1 to 15.
Sliding Fifteen strategy
Work in completed rows rather than chasing one tile at a time. Place the first tiles of the top row, then position the final pair without disturbing what is already solved. Repeat the same idea for the next row. Near the end, keep solved rows fixed and cycle the remaining tiles inside the unsolved area.
- Plan two or three moves ahead: the empty space is part of every move.
- Protect finished rows: avoid moving a correctly placed tile unless it is part of a deliberate cycle.
- Use the solved layout: compare positions when you lose track of where a tile belongs.
Why the 15 puzzle is interesting
It is a sequential-movement puzzle: every legal move changes which moves become available next. The Crafty Puzzles version uses a solvable shuffle, so the challenge is finding an efficient route rather than discovering that the board is impossible.
Explore the history of sliding puzzles or try the Tower of Hanoi for another puzzle based on legal move sequences.