Memory Match Game

How to use

Choose a difficulty: “Easy (4×3)”, “Normal (4×4)”, or “Hard (6×4)”. “Easy” is selected at first. Choose “1 player” or “2 players” for the number of players; “1 player” is selected at first. Flipping the first face-down card starts the game and the timer.

Flip a second card. If both show the same picture, they stay face up. If they differ, they are shown briefly and then turned face down again. Match every pair to clear the board.

Choose “Restart” to deal a new board at the same difficulty and number of players. After clearing the board, the same button becomes “Play again”.

Difficulty and number of cards

• Easy (4×3): 12 cards, 6 pairs
• Normal (4×4): 16 cards, 8 pairs
• Hard (6×4): 24 cards, 12 pairs

There are 12 pictures: apple, banana, grapes, strawberry, watermelon, lemon, star, moon, sun, fish, cat, and key. “Hard” uses all 12, while “Easy” and “Normal” pick 6 or 8 of the 12 for each game.

A face-down card shows “?”. Matched cards are dimmed and get a check mark in the top right corner. In a two-player game, they get the number of the player who matched them (1 or 2) instead of the check mark.

How to play and how it is counted

• Moves: every two cards flipped count as one move, whether or not they match.
• Time: the time from the first card flipped until the last pair is matched. It is shown as minutes:seconds, with fractions of a second dropped.
• Pairs found: the number of matched pairs out of the total for that difficulty.

Flipping only the first card does not add a move. Two cards that do not match stay face up for about 0.9 seconds, and no other card can be flipped during that time. Choosing a card that is already face up or matched does nothing.

Pictures are emoji that differ by shape, not only by color. The pictures and their positions are shuffled in the browser every time a game starts.

Playing with two players

Choose “2 players” to take turns on one screen. Below the score line, the pairs found by Player 1 and Player 2 are shown side by side, and the current player is marked “Turn”. Player 1 goes first.

• On a match: the pair counts for the player who matched it, and the same player flips again.
• On a mismatch: the turn passes to the other player as soon as the second card is flipped. Once the two cards are turned face down, the other player flips.
• Winning: when every pair is matched, the player with more pairs wins. An equal count is a draw. “Easy”, “Normal”, and “Hard” all have an even number of pairs, so a draw can happen.

Moves and time are counted for both players together. The result names the winner (or a draw) and gives the pairs with the winner's count first (for example, 4 pairs to 2). Changing the number of players or the difficulty during a game discards the current game.

Tips for fewer moves

A move is added only when the second card is flipped, so using what the first card tells you for the second card lowers the count.

• For the first card, flip one you have never seen.
• If you remember where the same picture is, flip that card second.
• If you do not, flip another unseen card second and remember where the new picture is.
• Remembering positions by row and column, such as “top row, second from the left”, makes them easier to recall on the larger “Hard” board.

There is no time limit, and taking longer does not add moves. To lower your move count, take your time and check one card at a time.

Keyboard controls

Press Tab to move to a card, then Enter or Space to flip it. While on a card, the arrow keys move to the neighboring card, Home moves to the first card, and End moves to the last card. Flipped pictures and match results are also announced to screen readers. In a two-player game, screen readers hear whose turn is next and, after the last pair, who won.

When the board is cleared, focus moves to “Play again”, so pressing Enter starts the next game.

Privacy

Shuffling and matching happen entirely in this browser and are not sent to an external service. Moves, time, two-player scores, and results are not stored and disappear when the page is reloaded.

FAQ

Can I flip another card while a mismatched pair is showing?

No. Other cards do not respond until the two cards are turned face down again.

What happens if I change the difficulty or the number of players during a game?

The current game is discarded and a new board is dealt for the chosen difficulty and number of players. Moves, time, and each player's pairs return to zero, and Player 1 goes first.

What is the fewest possible number of moves?

The same as the number of pairs: 6 on “Easy”, 8 on “Normal”, and 12 on “Hard”. Every pair has to be matched on the first try, so the first few moves depend on luck.

Is there a time limit or a limit on mistakes?

No. The game never ends because of time or mistakes; you can keep going until every pair is matched.

Are the cards in the same places every time?

No. They are shuffled again every time a game starts, every time you choose “Restart”, and every time you choose a difficulty or a number of players. The shuffle uses the browser's cryptographic random source, or ordinary random numbers where that is unavailable.

Can two people play against each other?

Yes. Choose “2 players” to take turns on one screen and decide the winner by the number of pairs matched. Playing over a network or with three or more players is not supported.

In a two-player game, can a mismatch ever keep the same player's turn?

No. A mismatch always passes the turn to the other player. Only a match lets the same player flip again.

Is a best score recorded?

No. Nothing is saved. The result disappears when you start the next game or reload the page.