Instructions for Flip Your Lid

The 3-by-3 version of this puzzle consists of 9 cubes arranged in a square (i.e., three rows by three columns).

In the initial arrangement of the 9 cubes (i.e., before any rows or columns are flipped), the colored faces are arranged as follows:

• The top faces of the 9 cubes are blue.
• The bottom faces of the 9 cubes are red. However, you cannot see the bottom faces.
• The visible vertical faces of the 9 cubes, which are represented as rectangles, are colored as follows:
  • The front vertical faces are orange.
  • The back vertical faces are purple.
  • The left vertical faces are green.
  • The right vertical faces are yellow.

To start the game, scramble the puzzle by clicking on one of the following buttons:

• Easy
• Medium
• Difficult
• Flip Your Lid

Next, start flipping the rows and columns until you unscramble the puzzle. To flip a row or column, just click on either of its two visible vertical faces (which are rectangles). When a row or column is flipped, it is rotated vertically 180 degrees, such that the center of rotation is the center cube of the row/column.

Throughout the game, the top face of each cube will always be blue or red.

If the "Show scramble steps" checkbox is checked when you scramble the puzzle, then the sequence of row/column flips are displayed, so that you can see how the puzzle was scrambled.

If the 3-by-3 puzzle is too easy for you, then try the 5-by-5 or 7-by-7 puzzle.

The 3-by-3 version of Flip Your Lid could be played using a Rubik's Cube if you limited yourself to vertical rotations of 180 degrees.

Thanks to my son Clark Lyons for system testing the puzzle and finding several subtle bugs!