Five-Square Tiling Puzzle Unblocked

Five-Square Tiling Puzzle uses one of the neatest sets in recreational math: every flat shape you can make by gluing five squares together along their sides. There are exactly twelve, and each goes by the letter its outline suggests, from F and I through to X, Y and Z. Your task is to pack them into a rectangle with no gaps and no overlaps. Early boards fall together quickly, and then a final pair of shapes simply will not go in, and you start again. Christopher Müller’s version plays unblocked and needs no dragging, so it works well on a phone.

Laying the Pieces

Choose a shape from the row of spare pieces beneath the board. A larger copy shows up next to two buttons, Turn and Flip, and one of its squares carries a dot. Rotate or mirror it into the orientation you want, then tap the cell where the dotted square belongs. Tap any piece already on the board to send it back.

A tally keeps count of the shapes on the board, and you win when each cell is covered by precisely one of them. Each piece carries its letter and a black-and-white pattern, so they are easy to tell apart without relying on color.

Two modes give quite different puzzles:

Mode	Board	Pieces to lay	Answers
Free, Easy	5 by 5	5	Any
Free, Medium	5 by 8	8	Any
Free, Hard	6x10, 5x12, 4x15 or 3x20	12	Any
Start pieces given	6 by 10	3, 5 or 7	Exactly one

When you are stuck, Hint points to the correct spot for one remaining shape, based on an answer that works with your current layout. If something you already laid has ruled out every answer, it asks you to take that piece away first.

Five-Square Tiling Puzzle controls

To do this	Keyboard	Mouse	Touch
Pick a piece from the tray	Tab to the piece in the tray, then Enter	Click the piece below the board	Tap the piece below the board
Rotate or mirror the piece	Tab to "Turn" or "Flip", then Enter	Click "Turn" or "Flip"	Tap "Turn" or "Flip"
Drop the piece on the board	Tab to the square where the piece's dot should go, then Enter	Click the square where the piece's dot should go	Tap the square where the piece's dot should go
Pick a placed piece back up	—	Click the piece on the board	Tap the piece on the board
Get a hint	—	Click "Hint"	Tap "Hint"

Working the Rectangle

Begin at the edges and corners. The I, L and U have long straight sides that hug the border. Laying them first leaves a cleaner, more compact space in the middle.

Do not leave the X for last. Its middle square has arms going in every direction, so it becomes almost impossible to place once the board is crowded.

Count every pocket. Each piece covers five squares, so a sealed-off hole of, say, 7 or 12 cells can never be filled. Spot those early and lift a piece to fix the shape.

Mirror before you give up. The F, N, Z and several others look completely different when flipped. The mirrored side is often the one that slots in.

Use the fixed-start puzzles to practice logic. With some pieces locked and only one answer possible, every remaining piece has limited options. Ask where the X or the long I could possibly go, and the rest tends to follow.

Good Company on FreezeNova

This is a quiet, thinking puzzle with no timer, ideal for a phone or tablet. If you enjoy spatial fitting, Tangram asks you to fill silhouettes with seven classic pieces, and Dominosa Domino Logic offers a number-based tiling challenge.