Read the board before moving
At the start of a run, locate the blocks and note which lanes remain open. Do not aim straight at fruit until you know whether a block sits behind it or closes the return path. Treat each block like a small wall that cannot be crossed.
Look for corridors wide enough to turn in. If two blocks create a narrow passage, plan which direction you will leave before entering it. A gap that fits the head may not leave enough room to manage a long body.
Route around blocks, not into corners
Move around a block with a broad turn that keeps the next lane available. Corners formed by two blocks can be useful when they are open, but dangerous if your tail blocks the only exit. Keep a mental map of how each obstacle divides the nearby space.
When fruit appears beyond a block, approach from the side that leaves the most room afterward. A longer route around the outside is usually easier to control than threading through a tight opening.
Protect the corridors as the snake grows
The body can close a corridor you used earlier. Before crossing from one side of an obstacle to another, check whether you will still be able to return or continue around it. Avoid laying your body across the only connection between two open areas unless you have already secured a safe loop.
Use the tail’s movement to decide when a lane is truly available, but leave a margin. A pickup makes the snake longer, so a plan that relied on the tail clearing immediately can fail.
Adapt your usual route pattern
In an empty board, broad sweeps can make movement predictable. With obstacles, split those sweeps into smaller sections connected by clear turning lanes. If a block interrupts the route, do not force the original pattern—choose a new loop on the side with more room.
Practice on Easy or Normal first, then increase your starting speed once you can read the corridors. The Obstacles leaderboard compares this mode with the same rules; see how the four leaderboards work.
A pre-turn checklist
- Is the next cell open?
- Can the snake turn after passing the block?
- Will the tail occupy the exit when the head arrives?
- Does this route preserve another corridor if fruit appears elsewhere?
For general route principles, read loops, lanes, and escape space.