How to play Lines
Lines is a five-minute puzzle duel on a 9×9 board. Move coloured balls through open paths to make lines of five or more. Clearing a line creates room; an ordinary move adds three new balls.
Start a game
- Select a ball, then an empty destination.
- Make sure an open horizontal-and-vertical path connects them.
- Form five or more balls of one colour in a straight line.
- Watch the next-colour tray when a move does not clear anything.
- Clear more balls than your opponent before the five-minute limit or a full board ends play.
Paths and matching lines
The board has 81 squares, seven colours and three starting balls. A ball moves through empty squares horizontally or vertically; it cannot travel diagonally or through another ball.
Matching lines may be horizontal, vertical or diagonal. Five or more balls of one colour disappear and each removed ball scores one point. A move clearing intersecting lines or a longer line can therefore score more than five.
New balls and blocked boards
If a move clears no line, three new balls appear on available squares. Their colours are shown in the next-ball tray. The new balls can themselves finish a line, which also clears and scores.
A clearing move does not add those three balls. A full board ends your play; in a bot match, that can settle the comparison immediately. In a human duel, the other board can continue under the match’s finish conditions.
The five-minute duel
Both players receive the same random sequence of positions and colours and work at their own pace on separate boards. You do not wait for your opponent after each move. The live score display lets you compare progress.
The match lasts up to five minutes and ends when time expires or both boards are full. The higher score wins; equal totals are a draw. Bots play their own board at a pace determined by difficulty and do not need to inspect your board.
Example: a line can be diagonal, a move cannot
Four blue balls on a diagonal can be completed by moving a fifth blue ball onto its empty square, but that ball still needs a path made of horizontal and vertical steps. A visually adjacent diagonal ball cannot jump straight through blocked neighbours.
Before filling a convenient gap, check whether it is also the only corridor connecting two open areas. Preserving access can matter more than moving one ball closer to an unfinished line.
Strategy and useful habits
- Keep routes between open regions of the board.
- Use the next-colour tray when planning a non-clearing move.
- Prefer a clear that leaves useful space and follow-up options.
- Watch the clock as well as the available squares.
Common mistakes
- Trying to move a ball diagonally.
- Blocking the only route to a planned destination.
- Assuming exactly five balls must make a line.
- Ignoring the three new balls added after a non-clearing move.
Questions and answers
How many points is a line worth?
One per removed ball: five balls score 5, and longer or intersecting clears can score more.
Can balls move diagonally?
No. Paths use horizontal and vertical steps, although a matching line may be diagonal.
Do both players get the same sequence?
Yes, the duel uses matching random sequences on separate boards.
