How do you play a ball sort puzzle?

A ball sort puzzle starts with coloured balls mixed up across a row of tubes. You move one ball at a time, from the top of one tube to the top of another, until every tube holds a single colour. In Orb Alchemy the balls are orbs, the tubes are glass vials, and each vial holds four.

What are the rules?

1. Lift an orb. Tap a vial to lift its top orb, then tap the vial you want it in.
2. Match the colour. An orb can only land on an orb of the same colour, or in an empty vial.
3. Mind the room. Each vial holds four orbs. A full vial cannot take another.
4. Cork every colour. Fill a vial with four orbs of one colour and it is corked for good. Cork every colour to finish the board.

That is the whole game. Every board starts with one vial per colour, filled and mixed up, and two empty vials to work with.

What is the corking rule?

When a vial holds four orbs of one colour it is complete, and Orb Alchemy corks it: those orbs can't be moved again. The board is finished when every colour is corked. A corked vial glows gold, so you can see at a glance how many colours are left.

What is par?

Every board shows a par beside your move count. Par is the number of moves in the shortest solution our solver found for that board. Finishing on par means you matched it; on the largest boards a player can sometimes beat it. Undo takes a move back but does not take it off your count.

What are clouded orbs?

A clouded orb hides its colour. It shows a question mark until it reaches the top of its vial, and once you have seen its colour it stays visible. Clouded boards are the same puzzle underneath, but you have to dig to find out what you are working with.

What is a sealed vial?

A sealed vial is shut: nothing can be taken out of it or put into it until you complete another vial. It is drawn with a dashed red outline and a number, which is how many vials you still need to complete to open it. Plan around it, because the orbs inside are out of reach at the start.

What if I get stuck?

Every board starts out solvable, but a run of moves can leave you with no way to finish. There are three tools:

• Undo takes back your last move, as many times as you like.
• Restart puts the board back to how it began.
• Hint asks the solver for a way through from where you are. It lifts the orb to move and lights up where it goes. If there is no way left to finish, it tells you so.

The Symbols switch puts a shape on every colour, so the board never relies on colour alone.

How do the daily puzzles work?

There are two sets a day, and everyone gets the same boards. The Daily Brew has three boards, with 5, 7 and 9 colours. The Magnum Opus has eight, from 4 colours up to 12, including one with clouded orbs and one with a sealed vial. Monday is the easiest day and the boards get harder through to Sunday.

Where next?

• Today's Daily Brew: three new boards every day.
• Unlimited boards: pick the number of colours and the difficulty.
• Ball sort vs water sort: how the two puzzles relate.
• FAQ: short answers to common questions.