Carom
Slide pieces until they hit a wall and steer the target to the goal in the fewest moves.
Every day: One numbered sliding puzzle a day on an 8x8 board, the same for everyone: get the target piece to the goal in as few moves as possible, compared with the best possible count. New puzzle: Midnight in your own time zone (the puzzle number is counted from your local date).
Carom is a daily sliding puzzle from Nerdcube Daily. Pieces on an 8x8 board slide in a straight line until a wall or another piece stops them, and you must bring the target piece to rest on the goal. Your move count is shown against the optimal solution, and past puzzles stay in an archive.
About Carom
Carom works like a board-game robot puzzle. The board is an 8x8 grid with short walls between some squares, a goal square and several pieces, one of them the target. Every move sends a piece in one direction, and it keeps sliding until it runs into a wall or another piece. You cannot stop a piece halfway, so getting the target onto the goal usually means moving other pieces first to act as blockers.
Each day brings one numbered puzzle, the same for everyone, along with the number of moves in the best solution. Matching that number is the real aim; beating your first attempt by finding a cleverer blocker is the satisfaction. When you finish you can share your result and replay the optimal path.
Carom is one of several daily games on Nerdcube Daily, alongside Dabble, Inlay, Trio and Jumble. Earlier puzzles are kept in an archive.
It suits players who enjoy short planning puzzles where a few moves have to be seen ahead, and fans of Ricochet Robots or ice-sliding puzzles in video games.
How to play Carom
- Open Carom to load the day's numbered board.
- Find the target piece and the goal square.
- Pick a piece and a direction; it slides until a wall or piece stops it.
- Move other pieces into place as blockers so the target can stop on the goal.
- Reach the goal, compare your count with the optimal number of moves, and share.
Tips
- Work backwards: ask which walls or pieces could stop the target on the goal.
- Count the optimal moves shown and plan that many before you start.
- A piece moved once as a blocker is often worth more than many target moves.
- Use the archive to learn common blocker patterns.
Questions
When does a new Carom puzzle appear?
At midnight on your device; the puzzle number counts days from the game's start date.
How is it scored?
By the number of moves, compared with the optimal solution.
Can I play older puzzles?
Yes. Past puzzles are in the archive.
Is it part of a bigger site?
Yes. It is one of the daily games on Nerdcube Daily.
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