Compare adjacent pairs before compacting the grid.
Monte Carlo shows 25 cards in a five-by-five grid with 27 in stock. Equal ranks pair when their cells touch horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. After removal leaves gaps, Compact shifts surviving cards left in reading order and fills vacancies from stock.
Last updated: September 2026
Use the eight neighboring cells
A card can pair with another equal rank in any touching cell, including a diagonal. Pairing changes which cells remain occupied, but cards do not shift immediately. If several pairs are legal, compare which one leaves an additional pair already touching before pressing Compact.
For example, equal-rank cards in row two columns two and three can pair. Equal-rank cards in row two column two and row three column three can also pair diagonally. Cards two columns apart are not adjacent, even if the intervening cell is empty.
Plan the compaction
Compact is available when there is an empty grid cell. It gathers all surviving cards in reading order, then deals stock cards into empty positions until the grid is full or stock empties. A new arrangement can create or break equal-rank adjacency. Before compacting, check whether an existing pair can be removed first.
Win by removing all 52 cards as pairs. An isolated matching rank may become adjacent after compaction, but the stock order is unknown until cards are dealt. Nestor also removes equal ranks, though its access is determined by column tops rather than grid neighbors.