Sliding puzzle - Definition

Sliding puzzles or sliding block puzzles challenge a player to slide usually flat pieces along certain routes (usually on a board) to establish a certain end-configuration.

Sliding puzzles are essentially two-dimensional in nature, even if the sliding is facilitated by mechanically interlinked pieces (like partially encaged marbles) or three-dimensional tokens.

Examples of sliding puzzles

• Dad's Puzzle
• Daughter in the box
• Digirot
• Fifteen puzzle
• First, First I, and First II
• First Do It Yourself
• First Exchange
• Itchi and Itchi II
• Rose
• Twist

See also

• Shuffling puzzles

External links

• maa.org column on Sliding-block puzzles (http://www.maa.org/editorial/mathgames/mathgames_12_13_04.html) which rebuts the claims in the Economist.
• Hardest possible simple sliding block puzzle? (http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3445734) from The Economist
• http://www.speedcubing.com/ton/collection/Slide%20with%20Hole/
• US Patent 4872682 (http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?patentnumber=4872682) - sliding puzzle wrapped on Rubik's Cube