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Row Clearing
Turn every path into a chain-clearing machine.
In One Stroke, when every tile in a row becomes the same color — all black or all white — that row clears and disappears. Remaining rows shift down to fill the gap. This is the primary scoring and progression mechanic. Your one-stroke path flips tiles as it crosses them, so every move is both a path decision and a color decision. The best players don't just clear rows — they set up cascading multi-row clears with a single path.
A row clears the moment all its tiles are one color. This happens in real-time as your path progresses — you can see rows disappear mid-stroke. This means earlier flips in your path can shift rows before later flips happen, changing the board state as you draw.
Identify the row closest to being uniform — maybe it only needs one tile flipped. Route your path to flip that tile early. Getting a quick clear simplifies the board and can cascade into making other rows easier.
The most satisfying plays clear two or three rows with one path. This requires finding tiles in multiple rows that need flipping and threading a path through all of them. Plan the full path mentally before you start drawing.
Clear bottom rows first when possible. When a bottom row clears, everything above it shifts down. This shift can change tile positions in upper rows, sometimes aligning them for free clears you didn't plan.
Bottom-up isn't always optimal. If a top row needs just one flip but a bottom row needs five, clear the easy top row first to simplify the board. Flexibility beats rigid strategy — read the specific puzzle.
After a row clears, remaining rows shift down. If you're planning to flip a tile in row 4, but row 2 clears first, that tile is now in row 3. Always factor in how clears change the board position of tiles you haven't reached yet.
Use the outer ring to connect separate clearing opportunities. Flip tiles in row 1, duck into the outer ring, reposition to row 5, flip tiles there. The ring is your highway between clearing targets.
Not every puzzle needs every row cleared in one stroke. Sometimes the optimal play clears one or two rows efficiently rather than attempting an elaborate multi-row clear that risks messing up the board.
Occasionally, clearing one row shifts tiles above in a way that automatically makes the next row uniform. These cascade clears happen without any additional flips. Recognize when a bottom clear will trigger a free cascade above.
Before committing your path, count: how many tiles need flipping in each target row? Can your path reach all of them without flipping tiles that shouldn't change? This mental rehearsal is the single most important habit for consistent clears.
Single-row clears are reliable and low-risk — flip the one or two tiles a row needs and move on. Multi-row clears are higher reward but require more planning: you need a path that hits targets in multiple rows without disturbing tiles that are already correct. Start by mastering single-row clears consistently, then look for multi-row opportunities when the board presents them. Forcing multi-row clears when the board doesn't support them leads to mistakes.
The outer ring is essential for multi-row clearing because it lets you reposition between target areas without flipping interior tiles. A typical multi-row clear looks like this: enter the grid to flip tiles in row 1, exit to the outer ring, travel around to the opposite side, re-enter the grid to flip tiles in row 4. Without the ring, you'd have to cross through rows 2 and 3, potentially ruining tiles that were already correct. The ring makes surgical, multi-target paths possible.
Rows clear in real-time as your path progresses. The moment all tiles in a row become uniform, it clears and rows above shift down — even while you're still drawing. This means your path can trigger a clear mid-stroke that changes the board for your remaining moves.
It depends on the puzzle. Multi-row clears are more efficient when the board supports them, but forcing a complex path risks mistakes. Reliable single-row clears are better than a failed multi-row attempt. Read the board and choose the approach that fits.
As rows clear, the grid shrinks. Smaller grids are generally easier because there are fewer tiles to manage. The adaptive difficulty system accounts for this — future puzzles will present fresh, appropriately challenging grids.
Infinite puzzles. Adaptive difficulty. No forced ads.