How to play a
memory matching game

The rules, one turn at a time.

1. Turn over any face-down card. Notice its shape and where it is on the table.
2. Choose a second card. Turning over two different cards counts as one step.
3. If the shapes match, the pair stays face up. A small tick marks each matched card. Those cards cannot be turned again.
4. If the shapes differ, both stay visible. Choose “Turn cards back” when you are ready for the next pair.

Find every pair to finish the deck. There is no countdown and no penalty for taking your time.

Four pairs is a good first deck.

Choose 4 pairs for eight cards arranged in two rows. You will meet the Sun, Moon, Diamond and Clover, with two cards of each shape.

Try remembering one shape at a time: “The Moon is at the top left.” When you find its twin, return to that place. Choosing cards in a calm, repeatable order can help you keep track.

With 6 pairs, Wave and Star join the table. With 8 pairs, you will also see Arch and Steps. Each symbol has a distinct shape and a written name, so you do not need to rely on colour.

Daily or practice?

Daily uses a fixed shuffle for each pair count and UTC date. Everyone choosing the same date and size gets the same arrangement. A new deck arrives at 00:00 UTC.

If the UTC day changes while the game is open, you can finish your current deck or choose “Play today’s deck.” Your saved daily deck stays available when you reopen. Choose Play today to replace it; an unfinished deck asks for confirmation.

Practice lets you request a fresh shuffle whenever you want. Switching between modes or pair counts keeps each deck’s progress in this browser, when saving is available.

What the counters mean.

Pairs found shows how many matches are complete. Steps counts attempts made with two different cards. Tapping a card that is already face up does not count as another step.

Time starts when you turn the first card. It pauses when you leave the tab, switch decks or open a restart confirmation. It stops when the last pair is found. It is your active play time, not a countdown or a verified competitive score.

Restart deck clears the pairs, steps and time for that attempt while keeping the same card positions. Choosing a new practice deck changes the arrangement.

Choose your controls.

Tap cards on a phone, or click them with a mouse. With a keyboard, press Tab to enter the cards, use the Arrow keys to choose a position, then press Space or Enter to turn the card.

Cards announce their position and whether they are face down, face up or matched. A revealed card also announces its shape. Motion follows your device’s reduced-motion setting.

Pick up where you left off.

Progress saves in this browser on this device. There is no account. Private browsing, blocked storage or clearing site data may prevent or remove a save.

If two different cards are showing when you leave, they stay face up when you return. Choose Turn cards back to continue. Your step count and completed pairs remain. Time spent away is not added.

If a save cannot be read, you can play without saving and choose whether to reset the old record. Read the privacy information.