Game mechanics
Discs, clears, chains, and the rising board.
Terms on this page
- run
An unbroken line of occupied cells through a disc, counted along its row or its column. Gray discs count.
- clear / pop
A numbered disc disappearing because one of its runs is exactly its number.
- wave
One round of simultaneous clears. Gravity follows; if new clears appear, that is the next wave.
- chain
A move with more than one wave.
- gray / covered disc
A disc whose number is hidden. Solid until hit once (cracked), revealed on the second hit.
- hit
A clearing disc directly beside a gray disc, in the same wave.
- reveal
A gray disc turning into its hidden number.
- rise
Every fifth drop, the board shifts up one row and a new gray row appears. +17,000 points.
- rise clock / moves until rise
How many drops remain before the next rise (5 down to 1).
- Hardcore / five-move mode
The game mode studied here: a rise every five drops, 17,000-point rise bonus.
- censored game
A game stopped at a move cap rather than ending in the rules' own way. Its score is a lower bound. The benchmark contract's cap is 2,000 moves; individual diagnostic runs declare their own, often 500 or 1,000, so always read the cap the run states.