How to play Chain
Chain is a daily number puzzle with a small ruleset and a surprisingly large search space. You start from one number, aim for a target, and work only with three fixed actions.
That constraint is what makes the game readable. You can understand the whole ruleset in a minute, but each puzzle still asks you to plan ahead instead of reacting move by move.
The goal of each puzzle
Your job is to transform the start number into the target number in as few moves as possible. The shorter the chain, the cleaner the solve.
You can experiment freely before you submit. Once you reach the target, you lock in the run and see how close you were to the optimal solution.
- Flip reverses the digits: 16 becomes 61.
- Flip reverses and also drops trailing zeros: 110 becomes 11.
- Boost multiplies the current number by 2.
- Nudge adds 3 to the current number.
Chain Example
Turn 15 into 63
What makes a strong solve
The best solves usually come from planning around Flip, not just stacking Boost and Nudge. Reversing digits changes the shape of a number, so a move that looks slow at first can create the exact target structure you need.
Chain rewards deliberate play. If your move trail starts getting long, that usually means you are exploring instead of committing to a path with a clear idea behind it.
Plan backward from the target
When you first see the target, ask what kind of number it is. Does it look like something you want to reach by a reversal, by steady growth, or by a final Nudge?
Thinking backward keeps you from wasting early moves on growth that does not preserve the digits or shape you need later.
Use Flip as a setup tool
New players often wait for a dramatic reversal. In practice, Flip is strongest when it reshapes a number before the board gets messy. A small setup move can make the next Flip much stronger than the current one.
If a reversal creates leading-zero behaviour or collapses the scale of the number, consider whether that reset actually helps you line up the target faster.
Know when to abandon a line
Long chains are not always wrong, but they are expensive. If you no longer know what the next two moves are supposed to achieve, the line is probably drifting.
Undo exists for exactly this reason. It is better to cut a weak branch after two wasted moves than to spend six more trying to rescue it.
- Stop if you are alternating operations without a reason.
- Stop if the current number is growing but not resembling the target any more closely.
- Stop if you can no longer explain what role the next Flip is supposed to play.
FAQ
Can I undo moves in Chain?
Yes. Use the Undo button or press Ctrl+Z to step back one move at a time. In the standard game there is no undo limit.
What happens if I use all my moves?
If you reach the move limit without submitting, the game ends that run. The move limit is 20 in the standard daily puzzle.
How does Chain score my solve?
Chain compares your move count to the optimal path. Matching optimal earns Perfect, one move over earns Sharp, and anything more is Scrambled.
Keep exploring
Chain Hard Mode guide
Understand Chain Hard Mode: longer daily number puzzles, a higher move limit, limited undo and reset usage, and separate stats.
How Chain scores your solve
Understand how Chain scores your daily solve. Learn what separates a Perfect rating from a Sharp or Scrambled one, and how the optimal move count is calculated.