The FLITCH sliding puzzle
Instructions & solutions
How to play the Flitch, and how to solve all 15 patterns from the booklet.
One move means: you slide a tile that sits next to the empty space one square into the gap. The goal is always the FLITCH position, shown on the right: 1 to 15 in order, with the empty space at the bottom right.
The FLITCH position
How it works
Your challenge in three steps
Step 1
Recreate a pattern
Pick a pattern from the booklet and slide the tiles until your Flitch looks exactly the same.
Step 2
Back to the FLITCH position
Now slide back until 1 to 15 are in order again. Count every move as you go.
Step 3
Aim for fewer moves
Next to each pattern name you'll find the lowest possible number of moves. How close can you get?
Tips for getting started
- Finish the top row first, then the second. After that, leave them alone.
- Solve the last two rows column by column, from left to right.
- Place the last two tiles of a row together: first park them side by side, then slide them in together.
- Never take tiles out and swap them. Half of all possible positions simply cannot be solved.
Good to know
Contains small parts that could be swallowed. Not suitable for children under 3 years.
The tiles are magnetic: keep them away from cards and other magnetic or electronic storage media.
Don't put the booklet between the Flitch and the snap fastener, or the finish on the tiles may get damaged.
The 15 patterns from the booklet
Every pattern with its shortest solution
We had a computer work out all 15 patterns. For 13 of them, the number in the booklet is exactly the minimum. Two can be done in even fewer moves: Zick Zack in 44 instead of 48 moves and 9er Puzzle in 37 instead of 40. The numbers in the solution are the tiles you slide into the gap, one after another.
Countdown
78 moves
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 12 8 4 3 7 11 10 6 11 7 · 2 11 7 10 6 7 11 1 5 9 · 13 14 15 12 8 4 3 2 1 5 · 9 13 14 15 12 8 4 3 2 1 · 5 9 13 14 15 12 8 4 3 2 · 1 5 9 13 14 15 12 8 4 3 · 2 1 5 9 13 14 15 12 8 4 · 3 2 1 5 9 13 14 15
Zick Zack
48 moves 44 moves
Shorter than in the booklet!
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 15 13 7 4 2 5 4 2 3 9 · 10 7 14 8 6 4 2 3 7 12 · 13 14 12 7 5 2 3 6 8 12 · 7 10 11 13 10 11 9 5 6 7 · 11 10 14 15
Door
30 moves
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 12 8 4 2 6 10 14 15 11 14 · 10 7 3 6 2 4 8 12 15 11 · 14 10 7 3 6 2 3 7 11 15
Ladder
36 moves
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 11 8 5 2 3 1 6 5 2 10 · 8 11 14 9 5 6 1 2 11 14 · 13 15 12 8 10 11 6 5 9 13 · 14 10 11 7 8 12
Arrow
53 moves
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 9 8 11 13 15 14 13 10 12 13 · 10 12 4 6 13 10 14 15 12 11 · 5 9 8 12 11 5 9 3 7 4 · 5 9 4 7 3 4 7 2 6 5 · 9 11 12 8 4 3 2 6 5 9 · 10 14 15
Stripes
40 moves
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 14 13 6 4 3 5 4 6 11 12 · 13 14 15 8 7 4 5 3 2 9 · 10 13 14 11 6 5 3 2 5 6 · 12 10 9 5 6 7 8 12 11 15
Heart
49 moves
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 14 9 5 3 2 14 9 5 14 4 · 6 9 5 13 15 12 10 8 9 5 · 8 10 13 14 4 8 10 13 14 15 · 11 4 8 2 3 7 4 8 7 3 · 2 6 5 9 13 14 15 11 12
Coast
46 moves
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 8 6 13 5 3 11 4 13 5 4 · 9 2 13 5 14 12 10 13 5 9 · 11 3 4 15 6 8 12 14 15 11 · 2 5 9 10 14 15 11 6 7 4 · 3 2 6 7 8 12
Vertical
72 moves
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 15 14 13 9 10 11 14 13 9 10 · 11 14 13 15 12 13 14 6 5 1 · 2 5 7 8 13 14 15 9 6 7 · 8 3 4 13 3 4 5 2 1 8 · 4 3 14 15 9 6 10 11 8 4 · 3 9 6 10 11 8 4 3 2 5 · 9 6 10 11 8 4 3 2 6 10 · 11 12
Heaven
32 moves
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 14 12 3 5 12 14 7 12 14 6 · 4 3 10 1 5 11 13 14 11 10 · 6 7 8 4 3 2 1 5 9 13 · 14 15
Edge of C
40 moves
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 11 12 15 2 5 4 3 5 2 14 · 5 2 1 6 4 3 2 1 6 11 · 9 10 12 15 14 9 10 8 7 4 · 3 2 1 5 9 10 11 7 8 12
Spin
49 moves
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 5 6 1 8 9 2 8 9 7 1 · 9 4 15 14 13 12 11 8 4 7 · 2 4 3 15 14 13 15 11 8 10 · 4 3 10 8 11 10 7 9 6 5 · 13 14 9 6 5 9 10 11 12
9er Puzzle
40 moves 37 moves
Shorter than in the booklet!
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 8 7 4 5 7 4 11 12 13 14 · 15 8 4 11 12 10 9 1 2 7 · 6 4 8 15 11 12 10 9 5 6 · 7 3 4 8 12 11 15
Big L
55 moves
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 3 5 9 3 7 11 13 12 10 13 · 11 4 6 8 13 10 14 15 12 7 · 4 1 5 9 3 4 7 11 8 6 · 1 8 11 7 8 5 9 3 4 8 · 7 11 5 9 2 1 6 5 9 6 · 5 9 10 14 15
Open Box
48 moves
Show solution
Slide these tiles one after another: 15 12 14 9 2 4 13 14 10 8 · 14 2 4 1 3 4 9 5 4 3 · 1 9 5 10 8 14 6 13 9 5 · 2 6 14 15 12 8 10 11 7 4 · 3 2 6 10 11 7 8 12
The Digital Original
Every Flitch is one of a kind
The serial number of your Flitch is also its starting position. The Digital Original shows how rare it is.
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