How to Play Tangram Online – Rules and Instructions

What Is a Tangram Puzzle?

A tangram is a shape-making puzzle with a fixed set of seven flat pieces, often called tans. Five are triangles, one is a square, and one is a parallelogram. Their sizes are related, so they can combine into larger shapes without being stretched. The challenge comes from deciding where those seven familiar pieces belong inside an unfamiliar outline.

The first puzzle here, The original square, introduces the complete set in a compact shape. Its faint internal lines show one possible arrangement. Later geometric studies remove those lines, leaving you to discover the divisions. The pieces never change size between puzzles. A triangle that seems too large usually needs a different position or orientation, rather than a smaller scale.

Basic Tangram Rules

Use all seven pieces in every completed puzzle. Pieces may touch along edges or at corners, but they must not cover one another. Their combined outline must match the target. You can temporarily overlap pieces while experimenting; the game checks the finished geometry, so a temporary pile is simply an unfinished attempt.

Color does not determine where a piece belongs. The two large triangles have the same shape and size, as do the two small triangles. Either member of a pair can occupy a suitable space. The game accepts geometrically equivalent solutions, including exchanges of identical triangles. It does not insist that a particular color fill a particular corner.

How to Play Tangram on a Computer

Start with the playable game. The pale target sits above a tray containing the seven colored pieces. Click inside a piece and hold your mouse or trackpad button while moving it. Release to drop it. Grabbing away from the center is fine: the piece keeps the same relationship to your pointer instead of jumping underneath it.

A simple click selects a piece without turning it. The selected piece receives a darker outline, and its name appears below the board. Use Rotate left or Rotate right to change its angle by 45 degrees. For a long triangle, compare both its sharp corner and its longest side with the space you intend to fill.

You can also choose a piece from the Selected menu beneath the board. This is useful when several pieces overlap or when you want to work without dragging. Tab can focus the pieces and buttons. With a piece selected, arrow keys move it one board unit; holding Shift makes each step ten units. Press R to turn right or Shift+R to turn left.

How to Play Tangram on a Phone or Tablet

Touch inside a piece, keep your finger down, and slide it toward the target. Lift your finger to drop it. Dragging within the board moves the piece rather than scrolling the page. To move farther down the page, swipe outside the board. The visible buttons provide the same rotation and reflection controls as the desktop version.

On a small display, your finger can hide an edge. Move the piece close, lift your finger, and inspect the result before making another adjustment. The board uses a shared coordinate system at every screen size, so turning your phone or resizing a window does not change the puzzle geometry. You can select a small piece from the menu if touching it directly feels awkward.

How to Rotate and Flip Tangram Pieces

Every turn is 45 degrees: eight right turns bring a piece back to its original orientation. Rotation happens around the piece's center. If a turn moves a corner away from the silhouette, translate the piece again afterward. Turning and moving are separate operations, and switching between them is a normal part of solving.

The parallelogram is different from the other tans. Its slant has a handedness that rotation alone cannot reverse. Select it and press Flip, or use F on a keyboard. The button is disabled for other pieces because their reflected shapes can already be reached by rotation. Read the seven-piece geometry guide for a closer look at this distinction.

Snapping, Hints and Undo

A correctly oriented piece placed close to a known destination receives a gentle positional snap. The help is measured in board units, so it behaves consistently when the display changes size. It does not rotate a piece automatically or force it into a slot occupied by another piece. A snapped piece remains movable if you want to reconsider the arrangement.

Show a hint reveals a translucent version of one piece in a legitimate solution position. You can study that ghost, then move and turn the matching piece yourself. Place hinted piece performs the placement for you. This makes hints usable both as a small clue and as direct assistance. Hint use is remembered locally; there is no penalty or countdown.

Undo reverses your latest change, including a rotation, reflection, hint placement, or restart. Redo reapplies an undone change until you make a different move. Restart returns the pieces to their tray. For keyboard play, Z undoes, Shift+Z redoes, and H requests a hint. These shortcuts operate in the game, without taking over typing in selection fields.

Finishing and Choosing Another Puzzle

The completion message appears only when the seven pieces geometrically cover the target without meaningful overlap or overhang. Pieces that look nearly right may still leave a narrow gap. Inspect the outside edge and try a small adjustment. Do not assume that the last piece is wrong: a previous placement may be blocking its space.

After completion, use Next puzzle or choose another level from the selector. The puzzle directory includes all difficulties without locks. Your completed puzzles, active board, sound preference, and hints are stored in this browser when local storage is available. A different device or cleared browser storage starts fresh. Sound is optional and begins muted.

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

Try not to fill every small corner before considering the large triangles. Those two pieces occupy half the set's area, and they need substantial room. A plausible-looking cluster of small pieces can make the rest impossible. Step back, identify the broadest region, and test a large triangle there before becoming attached to the details.

Another common mistake is turning the parallelogram repeatedly when it needs reflection. Compare which direction its long diagonal leans. Finally, give yourself permission to remove a convincing placement. Tangram rewards revision. A failed arrangement is information about the shape, not lost progress or a reason to rush.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to register?

No. All playable puzzles and guides are available without signing up. Progress belongs to the current browser, rather than an online account.

Can I solve using only the keyboard?

Yes. Select a piece using Tab or the piece menu, then use arrows, R, Shift+R, and F. Visible hint placement and undo controls are also keyboard accessible.

Does using a hint spoil completion?

No. A valid finished shape is still complete. The game remembers assistance locally so the completion message can acknowledge it without a penalty.

Where should I begin?

Choose Easy and try The original square. Then work through another guided shape before moving to an outline-only study. Return to the game whenever you are ready to try the controls.