Ball Sort

Ball Sort is a sorting puzzle played with glass tubes and glossy coloured balls. At the start the balls are dealt at random into the tubes, so every tube holds a mix of colours, and two extra tubes stand empty beside them. You move one ball at a time, always the ball on top, and the puzzle is done when each tube is either full of a single colour or empty.

A ball may go into any tube that still has room — the colours do not have to match while you work. That makes every puzzle solvable from anywhere, so you can never get truly stuck. The challenge is doing it tidily: balls of the colour you want are usually buried under others, and every ball you park on the wrong colour is a ball you will have to lift again. The Perfect mark shows how few moves a careful plan needs.

Our server deals every puzzle and then solves it before anyone plays, so each one can be finished. The move count of its best solve is shown under the tubes as the Perfect mark. Easy puzzles have four colours in six tubes of four, medium ones seven colours in nine tubes, and hard ones nine colours in eleven taller tubes of five.

How to start a game

1. 1Open Ball Sort on Alex Play Zone and press Start Puzzle; the clock starts when the tubes appear.
2. 2Tap (or click) a tube: its top ball lifts out. Tap another tube to drop the ball there. Tap the same tube again to put it back.
3. 3On a computer the number keys 1 to 9 and 0 pick tubes too, and Esc puts a lifted ball back.
4. 4Watch the counter under the tubes: your moves, the Perfect mark (“Perfect in 26”), and how many tubes are sorted.
5. 5Undo takes back one move (Backspace or Z works too). Restart puts every ball back where it started.
6. 6Hint moves one ball for you along a good way to the finish.

The rules of Ball Sort

The rules

• Only the top ball of a tube can be moved, one ball per move.
• A ball may go into any tube that has room — the colours do not have to match.
• A full tube takes no more balls. Each tube holds exactly as many balls as there are of each colour.
• The puzzle is solved when every tube is full of one colour or empty.
• Solving in no more moves than the Perfect mark, without a hint, is a Perfect solve.

A new puzzle every two hours

• One new puzzle is made every two hours, and it is the same for every player.
• You get one go at each puzzle. Leave and come back whenever you like: your grid is kept and the clock only runs while the puzzle is open.
• When the next puzzle arrives, an unfinished one is closed and shows as abandoned in your Battle Log.

Rewards

• The faster you finish, the more XP and coins you earn.
• Up to 28 for an easy puzzle, 44 for a medium and 60 for a hard one — and a quarter more for a Perfect solve, up to 75.
• Each hint takes 10% off the reward.

How to play well

Give every colour a home

Decide early which tube each colour will end up in — usually the tube that already has most of that colour at the bottom, or an empty one. Once you know the homes, every move is either a ball going home or a ball being parked out of the way, and you stop moving balls twice.

Dig out the shallow colour

Look at how deep each colour is buried. A colour whose balls sit near the top of several tubes can be gathered in a few moves; a colour stuck at the bottom of every tube is a job for later. Start with the shallow one, and the deep ones come loose as the tubes above them empty.

Park with care

You can drop a ball anywhere with room, but where you park it matters: a ball parked on top of a home tube must be lifted off again before that colour can be finished. Park odd balls on tubes you will empty anyway, and the best moves do two jobs at once — uncover a ball you need and send another ball home.

Finish tubes early

A tube full of one colour is done and never has to move again. Finishing one also means its balls are no longer in your way, so the rest of the board gets easier with every tube you close.

Look two moves ahead

Ask where the ball you are about to uncover will go next. If the answer is “nowhere”, the move only shuffles the problem along. Undo is free, so try an idea, and take it back the moment the tubes start to jam.

Remember: Choose a home tube for each colour early, and park the other balls anywhere with room. Every ball dropped straight onto its own colour is a move you never have to make again.

Common mistakes

• Parking odd balls on top of a tube that is meant to be a colour’s home.
• Moving a ball onto a tall mixed tube where it will soon be buried again.
• Splitting one colour across two tubes, so neither can ever be finished without more moves.
• Shuffling balls back and forth without a plan — every extra move counts against a Perfect.
• Ignoring the Perfect mark — it shows how tidy the best way through is.

Questions and answers

Can every puzzle really be solved?

Yes. The server deals each puzzle and solves it before anyone sees it, so there is always a way through. That solve also sets the Perfect mark.

Can I get stuck?

No — a ball can always go into any tube with room, so there is always a way on. Undo takes back one move and Restart starts again; both are free, and your clock keeps running. A hint moves one ball for you.

How are easy, medium and hard different?

Easy puzzles have four colours in six tubes of four. Medium have seven colours in nine tubes. Hard have nine colours in eleven taller tubes that hold five balls each.

Can I play on my phone?

Yes. Tap a tube to lift its top ball, then tap the tube you want to drop it in.