# Pair Paths

> Join matching dots without crossing the lines.

Join matching dots with a path that never crosses. Today's braid is one board for everyone. Larger boards open as you clear them.

- Play: https://sidekickarcade.com/play/pair-paths/ (in the browser, phone or computer, free, no sign-up needed)
- Neighborhood: [Puzzle Park](https://sidekickarcade.com/category/puzzle/index.md)
- Controls: Swipe or arrows
- Best on: portrait screens
- Coins for goals: 3 per 1 stars, up to 9 a run

## How to play

1. Tap a dot, then swipe or press an arrow. One swipe or one arrow lays the next cell. Paths never cross.
2. Fill every cell and join every pair. Fewer steps, inside the time, earns more stars.
3. Today's braid is one board for everyone. The first clear of the day grows your streak. Practice opens a larger board after four clears.
4. Undo lifts the last cell. Hint lays one cell along a pair and counts an extra step. Pause stops the clock.

## Tips

- Start from a dot and lay one cell at a time. A path cannot enter another color.
- The perfect fill is the three-star line, plus a few extra steps.
- Undo lifts the last cell. The step still counts.
- A hint lays one cell and counts a second step, so save it for a long board.

## Questions

### Is it free?

Yes. It is free in the browser, with no download and no sign-up needed. Coins are for fun and can never be bought.

### Is today's braid the same for everyone?

Yes. Today's braid is one board, from the date. Practice boards are your own, and they get larger as you clear them.

### What earns three stars?

Fill the board inside the step line and the time for that size. A thread allows 24 steps and 0:45. A ribbon allows 36 and 1:20. A braid, including today's, allows 50 and 2:00. A loom allows 68 and 3:00. Extra steps still clear it, for one star. Pause stops the clock.

### What if I get stuck?

Undo lifts the last cell. Hint lays one cell along a pair. Neither one ends the run.

### Can I play on a phone?

Yes. Swipe to lay a cell. Hint and Undo sit under the board.

## Achievements

- **First thread** (bronze, 15 coins): Clear your first board.
- **Today's braid** (bronze, 15 coins): Clear today's braid.
- **Three days** (bronze, 25 coins): Keep a 3-day streak.
- **Clean join** (silver, 30 coins): Clear a board with three stars.
- **A full week** (silver, 50 coins): Keep a 7-day streak.
- **The braid** (silver, 40 coins): Clear a braid.
- **The loom** (gold, 60 coins): Clear a loom.
- **Forty clears** (gold, 80 coins): Clear 40 boards.
- **A month of paths** (gold, 120 coins): Keep a 30-day streak.
- **Ten clean** (gold, 80 coins): Clear 10 boards with three stars.
- **Two hundred** (diamond, 200 coins): Clear 200 boards.
- **Pair Keeper** (diamond, 300 coins): Keep a 100-day streak. Earns the title "Pair Keeper".

## More to play

- [Pipe Flow](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/pipe-flow/index.md): Turn the pipes until every one carries water. (Puzzle Park)
- [Untangle](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/untangle/index.md): Move the dots until no lines cross. (Puzzle Park)
- [Isle Links](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/isle-links/index.md): Link the islands with just the right number of bridges. (Puzzle Park)