Corona Virus Matching

Despite the name, this is not a swap-and-match board at all. It belongs to the block-fitting family: you are handed shapes, you drag them onto the grid, and a row or column that fills completely is cleared away. Nothing falls, nothing cascades — the grid only changes where you put something.

That makes it a game of space rather than pattern. Every block you place is permanent until its line clears, so the question is never which move scores best but which move leaves the grid most workable. Clearing several lines in one placement pays considerably more than clearing them one at a time, which is the reason to accept an awkward turn now for a bigger one two blocks later.

The run ends when the tray offers a shape that no longer fits anywhere. There is no timer pressing you, so a lost game is a game you filled in yourself — usually three or four placements before the board actually locked.

1. Look at all the shapes in the tray before placing the first one.
2. Drag a block onto the grid; complete a full row or column to clear it.
3. Keep the middle of the grid open and push awkward shapes towards the edges.
4. Set up multiple lines where you can — clearing several at once scores far more.

Place the largest shape in the tray first. The small ones fit almost anywhere, so keeping them in hand preserves your options; doing it the other way round is how a comfortable grid runs out of room without warning.