Unblock Grove: a free browser game
Unblock Grove is a sliding block puzzle with twelve independently generated, solvable log yards. Your goal is to move the EXIT log along the marked row to the right-hand gate. Every log moves only along its own length. Moving an obstacle a single square can make room for another one, so the path to the gate often begins somewhere away from the target.
How to play Unblock Grove
- Logs cannot overlap or leave the six-by-six yard. Each accepted action moves the selected log one square.
- Only the EXIT log completes the puzzle. Its row stays fixed, and reaching the right edge wins.
- Undo reverses the last slide. A checked hint searches for a complete route from the current yard, with a disclosed search limit.
Unblock Grove strategy
Work backward from the gate
Find the log blocking the exit row, then look for a position outside that row. The squares needed for that move reveal which obstacle matters next.
Give a long log enough room
A three-square vertical log needs three consecutive open positions. A gap of one square may help but will not let the whole log cross another piece.
Do not count a temporary retreat as failure
The EXIT log may need to move left while other logs rearrange. Since all legal slides are reversible, Undo makes it easy to compare a different order of moves.
A worked example
A horizontal two-square log can move right by one if the next square after its right end is empty. Clicking an empty square does not teleport the log there. A vertical blocker must slide up or down until none of its cells occupy the exit row.
Questions about Unblock Grove
Can I rotate a log?
No. Its orientation stays fixed. Horizontal logs remain horizontal and vertical logs remain vertical.
Are all twelve yards solvable?
Yes. Each starting yard is created with reversible legal slides from a finished yard, and its inverse move record is replayed in tests.
Does a hint always find a solution?
The search examines up to twenty thousand positions. A found hint is backed by a complete route. Reaching that budget says nothing definite about whether the yard is solvable.
Is every slide counted the same way?
Each successful single-square slide counts as one move. An attempt blocked by an edge or another log changes neither the yard nor the move count.
Local progress, keyboard play and privacy
This original player runs in your browser. Refreshing the same tab restores the puzzle and its bounded undo history; closing the tab ends that session. If tab storage is blocked, the live round remains playable and the player explains the limitation. Keyboard users can reach controls with Tab and activate buttons with Enter or Space. The player sends no guesses, word groups, moves or hint requests to a remote game service. Read the storage details →