Pattern

How it works

What you get from it

The kind of reasoning you use when you notice what changes and what stays the same. You look at one thing at a time, shape, count, colour, fill or turn, and see the rule behind it.

Each round takes moments, and five of them make one puzzle, so it suits a short break.

It needs no words and no numbers beyond three, so it’s a nice change from the grid games.

Rules

Each round is a 3×3 grid of pieces with the bottom-right piece missing. A piece has a shape, a count, a colour, a fill and, for triangles, a turn. Each of those follows one rule across the rows: it stays the same in each row, steps up, steps down, or every row and column has each value once.

Four pieces sit under the grid. Exactly one completes it. Each wrong one is the answer with one thing changed.

For example: each row keeps one colour, and the count goes one, two, three along every row.

How to play in Rather

Tap the piece that fits. Tap it again to take it out. The right one finishes the round, and the next grid comes in. The line under the board shows the round: “Round 2 of 5”.

With Notes on, a tap strikes an option out, or brings it back.

Five rounds make one puzzle, with one clock and one result.

Where to start

Compare the four options first. Since each wrong one differs from the answer in just one way, what changes between them tells you which things to check.

Then read the bottom row, and the right column, one thing at a time. Count goes one, two, three? Colours each once per row? Strike out the options that break it.

Easy grids have one rule to find, medium two, hard three or four.

Only triangles turn, so with no triangles in the grid, you can ignore rotation.

When you’re stuck

Tap Hint. It takes back a wrong choice, or strikes out a wrong option and names the rule it breaks: “Not this one: each row keeps one colour.” When only the answer is left: “This one fits every rule.”

The bottom row’s two pieces are outlined, so you can see the rule the hint read.

Sizes

• Easy 5 rounds One rule per grid.
• Medium 5 rounds Two rules.
• Hard 5 rounds Three or four rules.

Questions

What happens if I pick the wrong piece?

Nothing is marked. Tap another option, or tap it again to take it out.

Is every round the same level?

Yes. All five rounds are at the puzzle’s level.

Is there an Errors button?

No. A wrong pick simply shows nothing, and a hint takes it back.