Game guides
Short, clear guides to the classic games on GameLake: how to set them up, what the rules really say, and the strategies that win. Every guide has diagrams and a button to try it straight away.
- How to Set Up Solitaire With Real CardsDeal classic Solitaire with a real deck: 7 columns, 28 cards, top cards face up, 24 in the stock. Step-by-step with a layout diagram and the rules.
- How to Win Solitaire: 10 Strategies That WorkTurn over hidden cards first, save empty columns for Kings, don't rush cards to the foundations. Ten Klondike strategies that win more games.
Jigsaw Puzzles
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- How to Play Sudoku: A Beginner's GuideSudoku rules in one sentence, then the two techniques that solve easy puzzles: scanning and singles. With worked examples and tips to get better.
- Stuck on a Sudoku? 6 Techniques to Get MovingStuck on a medium or hard Sudoku? Re-scan for singles, pencil in candidates, then use naked pairs, hidden pairs and pointing pairs. With diagrams.
- How to Win Minesweeper: Patterns, Flags and ChordingRead the numbers, learn the 1-1, 1-2, 1-2-1 and 1-2-2-1 patterns, flag and chord to go faster, and know when a guess is really forced.
- Minesweeper Rules and History: Who Invented It?The rules of Minesweeper in plain English, the classic board sizes, and the real history: Mined-Out, Mines, and Microsoft's 1990 version.
- How to Set Up a Chess Board (With Diagrams)Turn the board so a light square is on your right, rooks in the corners, queen on her own colour. Plus who goes first and how many squares there are.
- How Chess Pieces Move: A Beginner's GuideHow the king, queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawn move and capture, with a diagram for each piece, plus how many pieces there are and what they're worth.
- Castling, En Passant and Stalemate ExplainedThe three chess rules beginners argue about most: how and when you can castle, how en passant works, and why stalemate is a draw, not a win.
- How to Win Chess in 4 Moves (and How to Stop It)Scholar's Mate step by step: the four moves, why f7 is the weak spot, how to defend it with one move, and what actually wins chess games.
Checkers
Play free- How to Play Checkers: Rules, Setup and KingsLearn checkers in 5 minutes: how to set up the board with 12 pieces each, how pieces move and jump, how kings work and how to win. With diagrams.
- Checkers Rules Explained: Jumps, Kings and Moving BackwardsCan you double jump in checkers? Do you have to jump? Can you move backwards? The official rules, common house rules and other versions explained.
- How to Win at Checkers: Strategy for BeginnersWin more checkers games: control the centre, guard your back row, keep pieces backed up and use forced jumps to win two-for-one. Plus: is checkers solved?
