About Frogs and Toads
Frogs and Toads is a sliding and jumping puzzle that has been in puzzle books for well over a century, sometimes with counters, pegs or sheep instead of frogs. The frogs sit on the left, the toads on the right, and one lily pad between them is empty. Each animal only moves forward, by sliding onto the empty pad or jumping over one animal of the other kind. Move them carelessly and two animals end up face to face with nowhere to go. Find the pattern, and every puzzle takes the same number of moves: with m frogs and n toads, m times n plus m plus n.
How to play Frogs and Toads
- Frogs start on the left and only move right; toads start on the right and only move left. One lily pad is empty.
- Tap an animal to move it: it slides onto the empty pad next to it, or jumps over one animal of the other kind onto the empty pad behind.
- Swap the two groups. If nobody can move, you are stuck: undo or start again.
- Every move counts, even ones you undo, so the stars go to a solve with no wasted moves. Your progress is saved on this device only.
Tips & strategy
- Alternate the kinds: after some frogs move, toads move next, and the runs of jumps grow by one each time, then shrink again.
- Avoid leaving two animals of the same kind side by side in the middle too early: they block each other.
- Slides are rare in a good solve: most moves are jumps, one for each frog and toad that pass each other.
- If you get stuck, undo back to your last slide and try the other kind.
Frogs and Toads: questions and answers
How many moves does it take?
With m frogs and n toads, every solution takes exactly m × n + m + n moves: m × n jumps, one for each frog and toad that pass each other, and m + n slides. Three and three take 15 moves.
Why do undone moves count?
Because every finished solution has the same number of moves, the challenge is to find it without wasted moves. The count shows every move you made, so three stars mean a clean solve.
What happens if I get stuck?
If nobody can move, the page says so. Undo that move or start the puzzle again; nothing is lost but the moves.