Memory Match Rules

Memory Match (also called Pairs, Concentration or Pelmanism) is a card game for one or more players. The aim is to find all the matching pairs by remembering where they are.

🧠 Play it now: open Memory Match.

Setup

• Pairs of cards are shuffled and laid out face down in a grid.
• On Cheettukali: 8 pairs (Easy), 12 pairs (Medium) or 18 pairs (Hard).
• A pair is two playing cards of the same rank and colour: 5♠ and 5♣, or J♥ and J♦.

Turns

• Turn over any two cards, one after the other.
• If they are a pair, they stay face up and are out of play.
• If not, they are turned face down again and you try again.

Every attempt with two cards is one move. The game ends when every pair has been found, and the score is the number of moves (lower is better).

Example: You flip the 9♥ and the Q♠: no match, they turn back. You remember where the 9♥ and the Q♠ are. Next you flip an unknown card and it is the 9♦. You flip the 9♥ you remember, and that is a pair.

Playing with friends

With two or more people, players take turns. A player who finds a pair keeps it and goes again; the player with the most pairs at the end wins. Cheettukali is a solo game, so it counts moves and time.

Tips

• Start by flipping cards in a pattern (left to right, top to bottom) so you learn the layout quickly.
• Say card names quietly to yourself and think of a picture or a story to help you remember.
• When you flip a new card, focus first on whether its twin is already known.

Variations

• Match by rank only: any two cards of the same rank form a pair, which is easier with a larger pack.
• Match by suit and rank: only with two identical packs.
• Timed game: race against the clock instead of counting moves.

FAQ