HexaBlocks (PuzzleMadness)

About HexaBlocks (PuzzleMadness)

Each HexaBlocks puzzle shows an irregular grid of hexagonal cells, sometimes with holes in it, and a set of coloured pieces made of joined hexagons lying underneath. The aim is to place every piece inside the grid. There is no spare space: when the puzzle is right, the pieces cover every cell and none overlap.

It plays like a jigsaw with no picture to go by. The awkward edges of the grid and the holes in the middle give the first clues, because only certain pieces can fill a narrow spike or wrap around a gap. Today's Medium board, for example, has eleven pieces ranging from a single hexagon to a long bent chain.

PuzzleMadness is a free puzzle website run by Dewi, a software developer who started out making games for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii and DS and now builds the site as a hobby. It carries dozens of puzzle types, from classic sudoku to newer logic grids, and each one gets its own dated puzzle every day at each difficulty. HexaBlocks comes in Easy, Medium and Hard versions plus a Mixed page, and the same day's HexaBlocks puzzle is shared by everyone who opens it.

The site checks your grid as you go and tells you when it is finished; it does not publish solutions. Each completed puzzle earns a score, and scores feed a monthly and an all-time HexaBlocks leaderboard, where only your best attempt at a puzzle counts. Older days stay in the archive, so a missed puzzle can still be played later and still counts toward the current month. Playing needs no account; a free registration gives you a username on the leaderboards and a cloud save. The pages carry adverts.

How to play HexaBlocks (PuzzleMadness)

1. Open today's HexaBlocks page on PuzzleMadness and choose a difficulty from the menu above the grid.
2. Move a piece from under the grid onto the board; you can pick it up again if it is in the wrong place.
3. Place every piece so that none overlap and none hang outside the grid.
4. Finish when the grid is completely covered with no empty cells left.
5. The site tells you when the grid is complete and adds your score; registered players appear on the leaderboards.

Screenshots

Tips

• Fill the corners, spikes and cells around holes first: few pieces can fit them.
• Place the largest and oddest-shaped pieces early and save the single hexagons for last.
• Count cells: if a pocket of the grid is cut off, its size tells you which pieces can go there.
• Missed a day? Earlier puzzles are in the archive, and finishing one still counts toward this month's leaderboard.

Questions