Blog

Tips, explainers and ideas for everyday files and numbers, from making photos smaller to picking the right file format. Every post ends with a free tool to try.

Games

• Benefits of Sudoku: What the Research Actually SaysThe benefits of Sudoku, honestly: what studies show about number puzzles and the brain, what they don't, and how to get the most from playing. Free to play.
• Best Chess Openings for Beginners (Practise Free)The best chess openings for beginners: Italian Game, London System and Queen's Gambit, plus simple replies as Black. Practise them in free online chess.
• Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart: Hit, Stand, Double (Free)A blackjack basic strategy chart in plain words: what to do with hard totals, soft hands and pairs against each dealer up-card. Practise free with play chips.
• Free Brain Games for Seniors: Easy to Read, No Sign-UpFree brain games for seniors that are easy to see and easy to use: Sudoku, word search, memory matching and solitaire, plus tips for bigger, clearer screens.
• Free Brick Breaker Game: History and Tips to Play BetterFrom Atari's Breakout in 1976 to Arkanoid and phone games, a short history of brick breaker, plus tips on paddle angles and control. Play free in your browser.
• Checkers Strategy: 9 Tips to Win More Games (Free)Checkers strategy for beginners: hold the centre, keep your back row, trade when ahead and use forced jumps to set traps. Practise free against the computer.
• Chess Tips for Beginners: 10 Habits (Free Practice)Ten chess tips for beginners, from the check-captures-threats routine to developing pieces and castling early. Practise each one free against the computer.
• 12 Free Games to Play When Bored (Quick, No Download)Free games to play when bored, sorted by how much time you have: 2-minute, 5-minute and 15-minute picks that run in your browser with no download or sign-up.
• Hard Hangman Words and How to Guess Them (Free Game)Which letters to guess first in hangman, why short words are hardest, and hard words like jazz, rhythm and sphinx. Practise in free online hangman.
• Nokia Snake Game History: From Blockade to Your BrowserThe story of the Snake game, from the 1976 arcade game Blockade to the Nokia 6110 in 1997 and today's browser versions. Then play classic Snake free.
• How to Win Four in a Row: Centre, Threats, Odd/EvenHow to win four in a row (also sold as Connect 4): take the centre, build double threats, use the odd/even rule. Practise in free Four in a Row.
• How to Win Solitaire: 10 Klondike Strategy Tips (Free)How to win Solitaire more often: turn over face-down cards first, save empty columns for kings, don't rush the foundations. Play free Klondike Solitaire online.
• Jacks or Better Strategy: Which Cards to Hold (Free Play)Jacks or Better strategy made simple: a ranked list of which cards to hold, with worked hands. Practise free with play credits only, no real money.
• Free Memory Games for Adults (and What They Really Do)Free memory games for adults, from card matching to Sudoku and word search, plus an honest look at what research says about brain games.
• Minesweeper Patterns: 1-2-1, 1-2-2-1 and More (Free)Learn the Minesweeper patterns that solve squares without guessing: 1-2-1, 1-2-2-1, 1-2, 1-1 against a wall, with diagrams. Practise in free Minesweeper.
• Reversi Strategy: 9 Tips to Beat the Computer (Free)Othello and Reversi strategy that wins: take corners, avoid X-squares, keep your mobility high and flip fewer discs early. Practise free against three levels.
• How to Win Tic-Tac-Toe (and Never Lose): Free StrategyHow to win tic-tac-toe: open in a corner, answer every opening correctly, build forks and block your opponent's. Perfect play is a draw. Play free online.
• Free 2 Player Games on One Device (No Download)Five free 2 player games you can play on one phone, tablet or laptop, passing it between turns: chess, checkers, four in a row, tic-tac-toe and reversi.