Why piece count matters more than image
Two puzzles with the same image at 4 pieces and 144 pieces are functionally different games — one is a one-minute warm-up, the other is a full evening's project. If you start at 144 because you like the picture, you may quit before you find out you actually love this. Choose the difficulty first.
4 pieces: feeling out the controls
Spend exactly one puzzle here. Four pieces takes under a minute and exists for one reason: to teach you how a piece behaves when you drag it, how snapping feels, and where the buttons live. Then move on.
16 pieces: the sweet first puzzle
Sixteen pieces is the right place to start a real session. It's a 4×4 grid — small enough that you'll never feel lost, big enough that the picture genuinely emerges. About four minutes from open to finish. We mark this difficulty with a small 'Start here' badge on every puzzle page.
25 pieces: starting to think strategically
At 25 pieces (5×5) you'll start sorting pieces in your head — splitting them into colour groups before you place any. This is the count at which puzzle solving stops being trial-and-error and starts to feel like a craft. About six minutes.
When to move up
Once 25 pieces feels short — usually after three or four puzzles — jump to 36. After 36 you'll skip 49 entirely (it's not offered on this site) and go to 64. The difficulty curve from 64 upward is gentler than it looks, because the techniques you learn at 25 transfer directly to 100.