How do I play Cabanza?

The goal

Match all the tile pairs on the board before time runs out. Every face on a board appears exactly four times.

Free tiles

A tile is free when nothing sits on it and its left or right side is open. Tap a free tile to send it to the tray.

The tray

• The tray holds four tiles. When a tile lands in the tray with its match already there, the pair clears.
• If the tray holds four tiles and none of them match, the board ends and you keep the points you made.
• Plan ahead, and watch how many open slots are left.

Hidden tiles

• A plain turquoise tile is hidden. When it is free, the first tap shows its face, and a second tap on the same tile sends it to the tray.
• Tap any other tile, tap a blocked tile, or use an undo, and it turns face down again. Remember what you reveal.

Undo and hints

• You get 3 undos a board. An undo takes back your last send. If that send cleared a pair, both tiles come back and the points for that pair are removed.
• Any undo resets your streak.
• Stuck for a few seconds? Two tiles wobble as a hint, the same for every player. Hints never take hidden faces into account.
• There is no shuffle, and no boosters, extra tray slots, extra undos or extra time.

Difficulty and time

Difficulty	Tiles	Hidden tiles	Time limit
Easy	56	4	3 minutes
Medium	72	8	4 minutes
Hard	88	12	5 minutes

Each tournament is set to one difficulty before anyone joins. You do not choose it, and it is shown before you enter and on the board. The clock starts when the board appears.

The same board for everyone

Every player in a tournament gets the identical board: the same layout, the same tiles in the same places and the same hidden tiles. What is underneath is not shown in advance, but it is the same for everyone. Every board is checked by a solver that cannot see underneath, so every board can be cleared without seeing underneath. You can still fill your tray through your own play, and that is the skill.

See How is Cabanza scored?