TileWhirlHex tray challenges
The hex tray holds 72 trapezoid tiles in many possible layouts, which makes for some surprising puzzles.
No tile sits at the center of the tray: the center is a corner where two to six tiles meet, depending on the layout.
Three-Tone
MediumFill the tray so no two tiles sharing an edge are the same color. Use as few colors as you can.
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Two colors is impossible on every layout. Three works on most layouts, usually with exactly 24 of each color. Here is one answer on the Rings layout.
The Spiral Problem
HardTry Three-Tone on the Spiral layout.
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It can be done on paper but not from the box: every three-color answer on Spiral needs at least 27 tiles of one color, and the box holds 26. The answer is "three colors, but you would need one more tile".
Four for Crazy Paving
HardTry Three-Tone on the Crazy Paving layout.
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Crazy Paving is the one layout where three colors is impossible. Four colors works, with exactly 18 of each.
Corner Six
HardNo two tiles that touch may match, not even tiles that meet at a single point.
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The answer is the number of tiles at the busiest corner: four on Rings, Brick Rows and Columns, five on Chevrons and Crazy Paving, six on most others. Here is a six-color answer on Pinwheel, with 12 of each color.
Spin Six
MediumBuild a design that looks the same after a sixth of a turn.
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Only possible on the Pinwheel, Spiral and Windmill layouts. Every color count must be a multiple of six.
Spin Three
Easy to mediumThe same, but a third of a turn.
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Works on Three Panels, Basket Weave, Lantern, Cube Stack, Pinwheel, Windmill and more. Color counts must be multiples of three.
Mirror Match
EasyBuild half the tray, then build the other half as its mirror image.
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Choose a layout with a mirror line, such as Rings, Brick Rows or Chevrons.
Ring Count
Medium to hardPick a pattern on the Rings layout and count how many tiles of each color sit in each ring. Give the counts to a friend and see if they can rebuild it.
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The rings hold 22, 18, 14, 10, 6 and 2 tiles. The two-tile center is often the place to start.
Name That Layout
Easy to mediumLook at a finished tray and name its layout.
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Read the direction the tiles point, not the colors. Every hex pattern page names its layout, so you can check.
Memory Flash
EasyStudy a pattern page for 30 seconds, cover it, and rebuild it from memory.
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Score one point per tile in the right place, out of 72.