TenTrix

How to play

How to Play TenTrix

Keep the board playable for as long as possible. Place all three offered shapes, clear full rows or columns, and protect spaces that can accept awkward pieces later.

1. 01

   Press Play to open the GamePix-hosted game, then start a new TenTrix run. You will see a 10×10 board and three block pieces waiting below it.

2. 02

   Drag a piece with your mouse or finger and release it over a group of empty cells that matches the shape. Pieces must fit exactly inside the board and cannot overlap occupied cells.

3. 03

   Fill every cell across a row or down a column to clear that complete line. The blocks can have different colors; color does not affect whether a line clears. One placement can help complete more than one line.

4. 04

   Place all three available pieces to receive the next set. Continue until none of the pieces currently offered can fit. There is no time limit, so inspect the whole board before committing a difficult shape.

About the game

A 10×10 block puzzle with room to think

TenTrix is a placement puzzle played on a 10×10 board. Instead of guiding falling pieces against a clock, you drag one of three available shapes into open cells. Complete every cell in a horizontal row or vertical column to clear that line, earn points, and recover space for later pieces.

The pace is calm, but every placement is permanent until a completed line removes it. Shapes cannot be rotated, and a new set arrives only after you have placed the current three. A run ends when none of the available pieces fits anywhere on the board. That makes open space more valuable than a neat-looking corner: you are always preparing for shapes you have not seen yet.

Controls

Controls for TenTrix

Mouse

Click and hold a piece, drag it over the board, then release on a valid open position.

Touch

Press a piece, drag it to matching empty cells, and lift your finger to place it.

Reload / Close

Use the Airy Arcade player controls if the hosted game needs a fresh load or you want to unload it.

Useful strategy

TenTrix strategy that protects your next move

How line clears create breathing room

A line disappears only when all ten cells in that row or column are occupied. Mixed colors still count, so the useful information is the shape of your open cells rather than the color pattern on the board. Completing a row and a column with the same placement can release space in both directions.

A nearly finished line is an opportunity, but it can also become a trap if its last gap is hard to match. Leave gaps that several shapes could fill, and avoid scattering single empty cells where a larger piece cannot reach them. Clearing one line is helpful; clearing it in a way that reconnects two open areas is better.

Plan around the set you can actually see

You do not need to predict an exact future piece. Begin with the current set: identify the hardest shape to place, check whether one move would block its only useful area, and decide whether a line clear can make another route. Because the next set appears after all three current pieces are used, every piece in front of you needs a legal home.

When no immediate clear is available, preserve flexibility. Broad rectangles, long lanes, and connected central space accept more shapes than jagged pockets. A visually tidy board can still be fragile if every open area is only one or two cells wide. Judge a move by the placements it leaves available, not only by the points it scores now.

Recover when the board starts to crowd

Crowding usually becomes visible before the run is over. Several nearly complete lines may look promising, but if their empty cells are scattered, they can be harder to finish than a clean open rectangle. Map the open spaces by shape: find a lane for a bar, a corner for a block, and a connected patch for an uneven piece. Choose the move that keeps those categories available.

If one piece has only a single legal home, place it before a flexible piece. The flexible piece can fit in several places later, while delaying the constrained one may close its only route. After a clear, reassess the entire board because the best follow-up may differ from the plan you made one turn earlier.

A short practice routine

For a focused practice round, do not chase a high score immediately. Before each placement, name the hardest piece, the safest open zone, and the line you would most like to complete. This pause trains you to see fit, space, and payoff together. After the placement, check whether the board still has a broad area and at least one route for each remaining piece.

Try delaying the obvious clear for one move when the alternative preserves more open space. Compare the two resulting boards, then choose. The goal is to learn how a short-term clear can either create breathing room or create a fragile pocket.

Another short exercise is to inspect the board after each clear and count connected open regions. You do not need a perfect number; simply notice whether the clear joined spaces or left isolated holes. Over several rounds, this makes flexibility visible as a board property and explains why two moves with similar points can lead to very different run lengths.

When practicing, occasionally choose a move that leaves a line one cell short and observe the available follow-ups. This shows which gaps are easy to finish and which require a rare shape. Then return to clearing when the opportunity is safe. The exercise builds a practical sense of shape compatibility while keeping every placement tied to the board you can currently see.