Kerslide
Kerslide › Guides › Survive a full board
How to survive when the board is full
Most games are lost in the last ten moves. These habits turn a crowded board into a long game.
▶ Play free In your browser · no download · no sign-up
Every Kerslide game ends the same way: the board fills up, and none of your pieces fit. The good news is that a crowded board is rarely as hopeless as it looks, because every clear also moves the board. This guide is about the moments when you have 40 or more blocks on the board and need to get out.
1. Count before you place
On a crowded board, the order of your three pieces matters more than anything else. Before placing anything, check where each of the three can go. If only one spot fits your largest piece, place that piece there first, even if the move clears nothing. Small pieces can almost always be fitted somewhere afterwards; large ones often cannot.
2. Look for the line that is closest, not the one that looks best
When the board is full, any clear helps twice: it removes a line, and the shift that follows moves the whole board away from the top-left, opening space where your next pieces will need it. A one-line clear that you can make now is worth more than a two-line clear you might make in three moves.
3. Use the edges as exits
Blocks on the rightmost column leave the board with the next row clear. Blocks on the bottom row leave with the next column clear. If the right side is cluttered, aim for a row clear; if the bottom is cluttered, aim for a column clear. One well-chosen clear can remove a whole column of junk without you ever completing it. This is explained with pictures in the shift rule guide.
4. Do not fill the top-left corner
Because shifts move everything right and down, the top-left corner is the only part of the board that gets emptier on its own. When you place a piece that does not clear anything, prefer the right and bottom parts of the board, and keep the top-left as your reserve space for the big pieces.
5. Avoid lone holes
A single empty cell surrounded by blocks can only be filled by the single-block piece, which comes up roughly once every 67 draws (see the piece odds). When choosing between two placements, pick the one that leaves gaps of two or three cells instead of isolated holes.
6. Remember the fairness rule
Every new hand contains at least one piece that fits somewhere. That means if you can place your current three pieces, you are guaranteed at least one more move after them. The real danger is getting stuck in the middle of a hand, with one or two pieces left that fit nowhere. That is why you place the hardest piece first.
7. When nothing fits
On some platforms, when no piece fits, you may be offered one extra piece in exchange for watching a short ad. That extra piece is always one that fits on your board. Use it to make a clear if you possibly can, because the shift is what creates lasting space.
A short checklist
- Which of my three pieces is hardest to place? Place it first.
- Which line is closest to complete? Can any piece finish it now?
- Is the right side or the bottom more cluttered? Clear the matching direction.
- Am I leaving a one-cell hole? Choose another spot if possible.
More guides: all guides · How to play · Tips