Kestli (Süddeutsche Zeitung)

About Kestli (Süddeutsche Zeitung)

Kestli was invented by Johannes Kestler, who also publishes it as an app. Its name means little box in some German dialects and echoes his surname. The Süddeutsche Zeitung runs a daily Kestli on its SZ Rätsel pages, with the strapline Clever aufräumen: can you fit all the stones in?

The SZ puzzles are numbered and dated: Kestli 63 is the puzzle for 2 October 2026 and Kestli 64 the one for 3 October, which was already online on the evening of the 2nd. The rules come from the inventor's description: you move the blocks in the right order to bring them into the target area, but once a stone has fallen it cannot be pushed back up, so the order of moves matters as much as where each piece ends up. The puzzle is solved when the last stone clicks into place.

On sueddeutsche.de the game needs an SZ Plus subscription; without one, the puzzle page asks you to subscribe. The same SZ Rätsel section has Str8ts, Buchstabenring, a German Wordle and a chess problem.

It suits players who like Tetris-style packing and sliding-block puzzles but want a calm, single daily problem rather than a timed game.

How to play Kestli (Süddeutsche Zeitung)

1. Open Kestli on SZ Rätsel and log in with an SZ Plus subscription.
2. Look at the stones and the target area they must fill.
3. Slide a block; once it falls it cannot be pushed back up.
4. Plan the order of moves so every stone ends up inside the box.
5. The puzzle is solved when the last stone clicks into place.

Tips

• Think about the final layout first, then work out which stone has to fall first.
• Large stones usually have the fewest possible places; place them early.
• Because fallen stones cannot move up, avoid dropping a piece that blocks a gap you still need.
• If you like it, the inventor's Kestli app has more puzzle packs.

Questions