IQ Puzzler Pro / Kanoodle Solver

Finds the answer when a child is stuck on an IQ Puzzler Pro or Kanoodle challenge card. Place the pieces from the card on the board on screen exactly as shown and press "Solve"; the remaining pieces are filled in, in their colours. It solves any card, so the answer pages are not needed.

How to use

1. Under "Board", choose the board of the challenge: "5×11 board", "5×11 diagonal" or "Pyramid".
2. Under "Pieces", tap a piece from the card, then tap a hole on the board to place it. Use "Turn" and "Flip" to match its direction and drag a placed piece to move it. On the pyramid, also choose the "Direction of the piece".
3. Press "Solve". The other pieces appear with dotted beads. "Next" adds them one at a time and "Another solution" shows a different answer.
4. To avoid giving away the whole answer, press "Hint: one piece". Only the next piece is shown, with a dotted outline.
5. "Count solutions" counts the ways to complete the layout, and "Fill an empty board" makes a random solution for a board with nothing placed.

How it works

• There are 12 pieces of 3 to 5 beads, 55 beads in all (8 pentominoes, 3 tetrominoes and one 3-bead piece). Colours differ slightly between editions, so match by shape.
• Solving is an exact-cover search (Knuth's Algorithm X with dancing links) that runs in the browser. The empty 5×11 board has 4,331,140 solutions, or 1,082,785 when solutions that match after turning or flipping the board count as one.
• Every layout on the 5×11 board is solved. On the pyramid, pieces can lie flat on a layer or stand in either diagonal direction. On the diagonal board, the chosen pieces are turned 45° and all of them must fit without overlapping.
• The pieces on the board and the settings are saved only in this browser.

Copying a challenge card onto the board

An IQ Puzzler Pro or Kanoodle challenge card shows the pieces that start on the board in colour, and the empty holes must be filled with the remaining pieces. The board on screen faces the same way as the card (11 holes across, 5 down), so count holes from the top left corner and place each piece in the same spot.

If a piece does not match, "Turn" rotates it by 90° and "Flip" mirrors it. The more pieces a card gives, the fewer answers remain; with few pieces placed, "Another solution" shows several answers.

Questions and answers

How do I find an IQ Puzzler Pro answer

Place the pieces drawn on the challenge card on the same board, in the same places and directions, and press "Solve". The rest of the board is filled in at once.

Does it work as a Kanoodle solver

Yes. Kanoodle and IQ Puzzler Pro use the same 12 shapes, the 5×11 board and the 5-layer pyramid. If the colour names differ, match the pieces by shape.

Can I get a hint for an IQ Puzzler Pro level instead of the full answer

Press "Hint: one piece". Only the next piece is shown with a dotted outline, and "Place the suggested piece" puts it on the board.

It says the layout cannot be completed

Usually one piece is turned, flipped or shifted compared with the card. Check for a flipped piece and remove the last piece you placed.

Can it solve the pyramid challenges

Yes. Choose "Pyramid" and the five layers, from 5×5 down to a single ball, are shown side by side. Pieces lie flat on a layer or stand across the layers with "Diagonal ↗" or "Diagonal ↖".