About Make Ten
Make Ten fills an 8 by 6 board with digits from 1 to 9. Select any group of numbers that adds up to exactly 10 to clear them and score. The catch is that bigger groups score far more, so you are always weighing a quick pair against a longer, more valuable chain.
How to play
- Press Start to reveal a board of 48 random digits from 1 to 9 and begin a 90-second countdown.
- Tap numbers one at a time to add them to your selection. They do not need to be next to each other. The Sum box above the board shows your running total.
- When the selection adds up to exactly 10, those numbers clear, new random digits replace them, and you score.
- Scoring doubles with each extra number: 2 numbers score 2 points, 3 score 4, 4 score 8, 5 score 16, and so on.
- If your selection goes over 10, the board flashes red and the selection is cleared. There is no point or time penalty.
- Tap a selected number again to deselect it. When the timer reaches zero the round ends with your total score.
Controls
- Mouse: click numbers to select or deselect them.
- Touch: tap numbers to select or deselect them.
- There are no keyboard controls.
Tips and strategy
- Hunt for small numbers. Ones, twos and threes are the building blocks of long chains, and long chains are where the points are.
- Compare value per tap. A four-number group like 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 scores 8 points in four taps, while two pairs in the same four taps score only 4.
- Build from the bottom up: pick several small numbers first, then finish with whichever larger digit makes exactly 10.
- Keep an eye on the Sum display so you never overshoot. Busting does not cost points, but it does throw away the taps you had made.
- If time is nearly up, switch to quick pairs like 9 + 1 or 6 + 4, which are easy to spot and still score.
- Use deselect when you change plans. Removing one number is faster than starting the whole selection again.
Background
Pairs of numbers that add up to 10, often called number bonds to ten, are one of the first fluency goals in many primary mathematics curricula, because so much later mental arithmetic relies on them. Knowing that 7 needs 3 or that 6 needs 4 lets people add larger numbers by making tens, for example working out 8 + 5 as 8 + 2 + 3. Make Ten turns that skill into a search game, and the doubling score rewards finding longer combinations rather than stopping at the first pair you see.
Questions
- Do the numbers I select need to be next to each other?
- No. You can select any numbers anywhere on the board, as long as they add up to exactly 10.
- What happens if I go over 10?
- The board flashes red and your selection is cleared. You lose no points or time, only the taps you made.
- How long is a round?
- 90 seconds. The countdown pauses during ad breaks.