How to play

Four calm brain games, each with a new daily challenge. Here's how each one works.

Pair Up

Turn over two cards. If they match, they stay face up. Find every pair to win.

1. All the cards start face down. Every picture appears on exactly two cards.
2. Tap a card to turn it over, then tap a second card.
3. If the two pictures match, well done: that pair stays face up with a green border.
4. If they don't match, both cards turn back over after a moment. Try to remember where they were! You can also tap any other card to carry on straight away.
5. Each time you turn over two cards counts as one move.
6. When every pair is found, you win. Fewer moves earn more stars, up to three.

• Easy: 6 pairs (12 cards). A gentle start, great for young children.
• Medium: 8 pairs (16 cards).
• Hard: 12 pairs (24 cards). A proper memory workout.
• Today's puzzle: 8 pairs with a daily picture theme (animals, food, things or nature), the same for everyone.

No clock ticks on screen while you play Pair Up. Take as long as you like. Your time appears only at the end, for the leaderboard.

Math Sprint

Answer as many sums as you can in 60 seconds. Each question has four big answer buttons: tap the right one (or press keys 1 to 4). The most correct answers wins; fewer wrong answers breaks a tie.

• Easy: adding and taking away, up to 20.
• Medium: plus, minus and times tables up to 10.
• Hard: all four operations, with bigger numbers.
• Today's sprint: a different kind of sum each day (addition, subtraction, times tables or mixed), with the same questions for everyone.

This one is meant to be quick, so it does have a clock. If you prefer no time pressure, try Pair Up or Mini Sudoku on Easy.

Mini Sudoku

A small 4×4 sudoku. Fill every square so that each row, each column and each 2×2 box contains 1, 2, 3 and 4 exactly once. Tap a square, then tap a number. Numbers that clash turn red.

• You have 3 hints per grid. A hint fills in the square you've selected.
• Solve the grid before the time runs out: 5 minutes on Easy, 4 minutes on the others. That's plenty for most people.
• The daily grid gets a little harder through the week, and the home page tells you tomorrow's level.

Sequence Memory

Watch the tiles light up, then tap them in the same order. Each round adds one more step. One wrong tap ends the game, and your score is the longest pattern you repeated. Every tile has its own colour and symbol, so it works for colour-blind players too.

Daily challenges, streaks and badges

• Daily challenges: every game has one, the same for everyone, and they change at midnight India time. Play the daily as many times as you like: your best game of the day counts on the daily leaderboard.
• Streak: finish at least one daily challenge a day to grow your streak. Missed a day? No problem: your streak waits one day for you. Each new streak day gets a little celebration with a chime and confetti, and milestones (3, 7, 14, 30 days…) get a bigger one. Tap Sound off on the result card for a quiet celebration.
• Badges: earned for milestones like a 7-day streak, a personal best or beating a friend. See them on My progress.
• Challenge a friend: after a game, tap Challenge a friend to send a link. Your friend gets exactly the same board, and no sign-up is needed to play.
• Leaderboards: pick a nickname to join, then switch between Everyone and Friends.

Tips for children

• Say the picture out loud when you turn a card: "apple, top corner!" Saying it helps you remember it.
• Start with Easy. When you can finish with three stars, try Medium.
• Play with a grown-up and take turns. Whoever finds a pair gets another go.
• Don't worry about mistakes. Every card you turn over teaches you something.

Tips for older players

• The cards are big on purpose. If they still feel small, turn your phone sideways or use a tablet.
• Try the dark theme (the moon button at the top) if bright screens tire your eyes.
• Work row by row, from left to right, like reading a page. A steady pattern is easier to remember than jumping around.
• Play one daily puzzle with your morning tea. A small, regular habit is more fun than a long session.

Tips for everyone (Pair Up)

• On your first turn, flip cards you haven't seen yet, so you learn as much as possible.
• If your first card matches one you've already seen, go straight for its partner.
• Group the cards in your mind: "the two corners", "the middle four". Small groups are easier to hold on to.

Want more ideas? Read our Brain tips.