HOW TO PLAY: PRACTICE

What practice is

Practice is an unlimited version of the Guess the Player puzzle. It uses the same board, the same eight guesses and the same colours and arrows as the daily game, but the mystery player is picked at random on your own device. When a round ends you can start another one straight away, as many times as you like.

Same rules, no pressure

Green means an exact match, yellow means close and red means no match across team, position, height and age. Arrows on height and age point toward the answer, so an up arrow means the mystery player is taller or older. If you are new, read the full Guess the Player guide first, then use practice to build a feel for the clues.

Practice rounds never count toward your streak. Your streak only grows when you solve a daily puzzle, and a lost practice round costs you nothing. That makes it the best place to try a risky opening guess or to learn which teams and positions the clues treat as close.

Playing offline

After you have opened Hardwood once while online, practice keeps working without a connection. The player list is stored on your device, so you can play on a plane, on the subway or anywhere the signal drops. Visit the practice page once with a connection and the game takes care of the rest.

The daily puzzles are different. They need a connection, because the answer is checked on the server and your result and streak are saved there. If you open a daily puzzle while offline, you will be pointed back to practice.

Why it is worth using

Practice is also the quickest way to learn the pool. After a few rounds you start to notice which veterans have played for many teams and which positions sit in the same family. That knowledge carries straight over to the daily puzzles, where every guess counts.

FAQ

Does practice affect my streak?

No. Only solved daily puzzles count.

Does practice work offline?

Yes, after one visit while online.