Klotski
Play Klotski (Huarong Dao) online for free. Slide the blocks to move Cao Cao out of the 4×5 board — 10 levels from a 4-move warm-up to the classic 116-move Hengdao Lima, with undo, hints and move records.
Level 1 · Open Gate
Par 4
Moves0
Time0:00
Par4
Record—
Stars★★★
Exit
Drag a block to slide it, and move Cao Cao to the exit
How to play
- The board is 4 columns by 5 rows: one Cao Cao (2×2), one Guan Yu (2×1), four vertical generals (1×2) and four soldiers (1×1), leaving exactly two empty cells.
- Blocks only slide horizontally or vertically — never diagonally, and never through another block.
- Win by moving Cao Cao onto the exit in the middle of the bottom row. Fewer moves means more stars.
Tips
- Clear Cao Cao's downward path first: the two cells directly above the exit anchor everything else.
- Soldiers cover the least space and turn most freely — use them to shift the gaps around the big blocks.
- A vertical general pinned against a side wall can only move up and down, so keep them out of the bottom row.
- When stuck, undo back to the last branching point instead of restarting the whole level.
Origins
Klotski retells an episode from Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Cao Cao, fleeing through the Huarong trail, is let go by Guan Yu out of old loyalty. Later puzzle makers turned that scene into a sliding-block board, and dozens of classic layouts such as Hengdao Lima have been catalogued since.
FAQ
- What is the fewest moves needed to solve Klotski?
- The classic Hengdao Lima layout takes 116 single-cell moves at best. Every level here shows its solver-verified par, and the win dialog shows how close you came.
- Can I play on a phone?
- Yes. Drag the blocks with your finger; the board scales to the screen width. Keyboard arrow keys work too.
- Does the hint reveal the full solution?
- No. A hint only shows the next optimal move and how many moves remain to par — you still have to work out the rest.