Memory Match

How does the memory match game work?

Memory match is pairs — or pelmanism, if you learned it under that name — with a fresh, themed deck of cards each day: the garden one day, the kitchen or the seaside the next. Every card starts face down; tap one to turn it over, then tap another hoping for its twin. Find a match and the pair stays face up for the rest of the game; get it wrong and both cards turn back over so you can try again.

There’s nothing to download and no account needed — the board simply remembers where you got to if you come back later the same day. It’s a game most people already know the rules of before they’ve read a word of instruction, which is exactly why it suits playing together so well: everyone at the table already knows how to join in.

Which board should I choose — 8 pairs or 10 pairs?

The relaxed board has 8 pairs, 16 cards laid out four by four — a good length for a first go, for playing with someone who tires of a long game, or simply for an afternoon when you fancy something quick. The bigger board has 10 pairs, 20 cards, and suits players who want a longer round, or who already find the smaller board too easy.

Switching between them never costs you anything: each board size keeps its own progress, so moving from the 8-pair board to the 10-pair one and back again picks up exactly where you left off on each, rather than starting one of them over.

Can two people play against each other?

Yes — the “Two players” button turns the same board into a proper head-to-head. Players take turns flipping two cards; find a match and you score a point and go again, miss and the turn passes to the other player. Whoever has found the most pairs when the board is cleared wins, and a draw gets its own honest announcement rather than being quietly ignored.

Two-player games always start fresh rather than picking up a saved solo board, so you can dip into a quick head-to-head without disturbing your own progress on today’s puzzle. It’s one of the few games where the age in the room genuinely doesn’t decide the winner — a careful player beats a quick one more often than you’d think.

Is there a printable version for playing away from a screen?

Yes. The free weekly printable pack includes a memory-match cut-out sheet alongside a week of the other five puzzles — print it, cut along the lines, and you have a physical deck of cards for a coffee table, a care home lounge, or a memory café table. It’s the same pairs game, just dealt by hand instead of tapped on a screen.

Our memory match guide has gentle strategies for remembering where the cards hide, whether you’re playing the on-screen version or the printed one, and our guide to puzzles to do with your grandchildren explains why memory match in particular tends to level the playing field across generations.

Is there a timer or a limit on how many moves I can take?

No. Memory match counts your moves and shows the tally once you’ve finished, purely out of interest — there’s no clock running and no ceiling on how many tries you get. Take all the time the game needs; a slow, careful search through a deck is just as valid a way to play as a fast one.

Missed a day, or fancy revisiting an old deck? The answers archive keeps every past day’s memory match playable in full, so a favourite themed deck is never really gone.