Gem Match
Swap adjacent gems to match 3 or more in a row. Score big with chain reactions!
How to play
- Click a gem to select it (highlighted in yellow), then click an adjacent gem to swap.
- Matching 3 or more identical gems in a row or column clears them and scores points.
- Gems fall to fill gaps; chain reactions score automatically.
- You have 20 moves — plan ahead for the best score!
- Click Restart to start a new board at any time.
Click a gem, then click an adjacent gem to swap them. Match 3 or more in a row or column to score. You have 20 moves!
How it works
Gem Match is a tile-swapping puzzle game. The board displays a grid of colored gems, and you swap two adjacent gems (horizontally or vertically) to create a line of three or more matching colors. Matched gems disappear, gems above fall to fill the gaps, and new gems drop in from the top.
Chain reactions -- where falling gems create additional matches automatically -- award bonus points. Planning a swap that sets up a cascade is the key skill that separates casual players from high scorers.
The game is well-suited for short mental breaks; a single round typically lasts two to five minutes depending on skill level and luck of the gem distribution.
Worked example
Creating a chain reaction
- Scan the board for a swap that creates an immediate match of three.
- Before swapping, check whether the gems that will fall after the match could align to form another match.
- Execute the swap by clicking the source gem then the destination gem.
- Watch the chain reaction score bonus appear if cascades occur.
- Plan your next swap while the board is resettling.
A multi-chain combo that earns several times the normal points.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Making the first legal swap found without scanning for potential chain reactions.
- Swapping gems that create a match in an area of the board that is already clear, wasting cascade potential.
- Forgetting that matches of four or five gems often leave special power gems on the board -- look for those opportunities.
Key terms
- Match-3
- A genre of puzzle game where three or more identical tiles in a row or column are removed together.
- Cascade
- A secondary (or further) match that occurs automatically after gems fall to fill cleared spaces.
- Adjacent
- Directly next to -- above, below, left, or right -- with no diagonal swaps allowed.
Frequently asked questions
- What counts as a match?
- 3 or more identical gems in a horizontal row or vertical column.
- Do chain reactions count?
- Yes! When gems fall after a match and create new matches, they score automatically.