Sliding puzzle maker

Upload a photo or illustration and it becomes a grid of tiles with one taken out — players slide the rest back into place.

Three by three is the classic eight-puzzle. Every row and column beyond that makes the board markedly harder to untangle.

Every tile is numbered by default, so where it belongs is never in doubt. Take the numbers away and players have to read the picture instead.

A faint copy of the finished picture sits behind the tiles. Turn it off and players have to work out the composition as they slide.

The difficulty level sets how many moves the board is shuffled by before anyone sees it — the same grid, a much longer way back.

Turn it into a head-to-head challenge: progress updates live, and whoever finishes first gets the winner pop-up.

Add a countdown to turn the puzzle into a race, and decide what players see when time runs out.

Sliding is something you do with a finger or a mouse, so this one cannot be printed — for paper, try the crossword or word seeker.

Open a ready-made example and play it exactly like your players would.