MALP Specialists Training Manual

Moving Pieces

Here's an example of what a sixteen piece, four row, four column MALP with the arrow piece in the bottom right corner would look like solved, followed by an example of what it might look like scrambled.

 1  2  3  4 
 5  6  7  8 
 9  10  11  12 
 13  14  15  A 
       
 6  9  3  14 
 A  12  7  4 
 2  10  1  11 
 13  5  15  8 
       
At first glance, to someone who hasn't done very many MALPs, or any, it might seem a little impossible, but you just have to approach solving it one step at a time. The first step is learning how to move the pieces.

To move pieces you need to know how to use the arrow piece. To move a piece, click on it. If it's next to the arrow piece (to the immediate left, right, top or bottom) it will switch places with the arrow piece. If it's not next to the arrow piece, you need to move the pieces between it and the arrow piece before you can move it. Moving the arrow piece itself is easy enough, as shown below. (Just look at the pictures in order from top to bottom. You can choose to look at both sets of pictures, or you can look at just the set with the numbers, or just the set with the pictures.)

 6  9  3  14 
 A  12  7  4 
 2  10  1  11 
 13  5  15  8 
       
First you would click piece 12.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  A  7  4 
 2  10  1  11 
 13  5  15  8 
       
Then you would click piece 7.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  7  A  4 
 2  10  1  11 
 13  5  15  8 
       
Then you would click piece 4.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  7  4  A 
 2  10  1  11 
 13  5  15  8 
       
There, that's how you move the arrow piece. It works the same way vertically. (Up & down)

Move pieces other than the arrow piece, while similar to moving the arrow piece, is a bit more complex. Starting with what was left in the last picture, now I'll show you how to move piece 2 from where it is to where piece 11 is.

 6  9  3  14 
 12  7  4  A 
 2  10  1  11 
 13  5  15  8 
       
To do this, first you would move the arrow piece so that it's right next to piece 2, where piece 10 is, since piece 10 is directly between piece 2 and piece 11. If you needed to move the piece up, as well, you could choose between where piece 12 is and piece 10 is for where you want the arrow piece, and if you needed to move it down, you could choose between where piece 10 is and where piece 13 is. First you would click piece 4.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  7  A  4 
 2  10  1  11 
 13  5  15  8 
       
Then you would click piece 7.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  A  7  4 
 2  10  1  11 
 13  5  15  8 
       
Then you would click piece 10.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 2  A  1  11 
 13  5  15  8 
       
Then you would move piece 2 towards piece 11 by clicking on it.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 A  2  1  11 
 13  5  15  8 
       
Now to move piece 2 even closer to piece 11, you would need to move the arrow piece to where piece 1 is, without moving piece 2. First you would click piece 13.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  2  1  11 
 A  5  15  8 
       
Then you would click piece 5.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  2  1  11 
 5  A  15  8 
       
Then you would click piece 15.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  2  1  11 
 5  15  A  8 
       
Then you would click piece 1.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  2  A  11 
 5  15  1  8 
       
Now you would need to move piece 2 next to piece 11, and repeat this process to make room for piece 2 where piece 11 is. You would start by clicking piece 2.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  A  2  11 
 5  15  1  8 
       
Now you would move the arrow piece around piece 2 to where piece 11 is. You would start by clicking piece 15.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  15  2  11 
 5  A  1  8 
       
Next you would click piece 1.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  15  2  11 
 5  1  A  8 
       
Then you would click piece 8.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  15  2  11 
 5  1  8  A 
       
Then you would click piece 11.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  15  2  A 
 5  1  8  11 
       
Then you would just click piece 2 to move it where you want it.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  15  A  2 
 5  1  8  11 
       
Just like that.

The same process can be used to move pieces vertically. I'll show you how by moving piece 11 to where piece 14 is.

 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  15  A  2 
 5  1  8  11 
       
First you would move the arrow piece to directly between piece 11 and piece 14, by clicking piece 2.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  15  2  A 
 5  1  8  11 
       
Then you would click piece 11 to move it closer to piece 14.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  15  2  11 
 5  1  8  A 
       
Then you would move the arrow piece around piece 11, starting by clicking piece 8.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  15  2  11 
 5  1  A  8 
       
Then you would click piece 2.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  7  4 
 13  15  A  11 
 5  1  2  8 
       
Then you would click piece 7.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  A  4 
 13  15  7  11 
 5  1  2  8 
       
Then you would click piece 4.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  4  A 
 13  15  7  11 
 5  1  2  8 
       
Then you would click piece 11 to move it closer to piece 14.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  4  11 
 13  15  7  A 
 5  1  2  8 
       
Then you would move the arrow piece to where piece 3 is so that you can move piece 14 out of the way, starting by clicking piece 7.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  4  11 
 13  15  A  7 
 5  1  2  8 
       
Next you would click piece 4.
 6  9  3  14 
 12  10  A  11 
 13  15  4  7 
 5  1  2  8 
       
Then you would click piece 3.
 6  9  A  14 
 12  10  3  11 
 13  15  4  7 
 5  1  2  8 
       
Then you would click piece 14 to make room for piece 11.
 6  9  14  A 
 12  10  3  11 
 13  15  4  7 
 5  1  2  8 
       
Then you would click piece 11.
 6  9  14  11 
 12  10  3  A 
 13  15  4  7 
 5  1  2  8 
       
Just like that.

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Last Updated: Sunday, December 26, 1999