How to play Memory

Memory — also known as Concentration or Pairs — is the classic short-term-memory card game, played here with our own illustrated deck. All the cards lie face down, and you turn them over two at a time hunting for matching pairs. It is simple to pick up, friendly for all ages, and quietly addictive as you try to clear the table in fewer moves each time.

Goal

Find every matching pair and clear the whole table. A move counter and a timer run as you play; the fewer moves you take, the better. Your best move count for each difficulty is saved on this device, so there is always a personal best waiting to be beaten.

How to play

• Click or tap a face-down card to flip it over, then flip a second card.
• If the two cards are the same rank and suit, they stay face up as a matched pair.
• If they do not match, both turn back over after a moment — so take a good look at where they were before they hide again.
• Each pair of flips counts as one move. Keep matching until the entire board is cleared.

Difficulty

Three sizes let you set the challenge. Easy uses 6 pairs (12 cards), Medium uses 12 pairs (24 cards), and Hard uses 18 pairs (36 cards). Start small while you learn the rhythm, then step up as your recall sharpens. Each difficulty keeps its own best-move record.

Strategy and tips

The heart of the game is paying attention even when you do not score. Note the position of every card you reveal, including the ones that did not match this turn — you will very often need that card on the next go. Once you have turned over a card whose partner you have already seen, finish that pair before exploring elsewhere. It also helps to build a mental map by working in a consistent order, such as scanning along rows, so the grid forms a steady picture in your head rather than a scatter of random flips. On the harder boards, slowing down for a second to fix each new card in memory will save you far more moves than rushing.