Many improvements and updates have been made

Andrii — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:25:37 +0000

[](https://riddlehouses.com/
*I don't know why but I really love this puzzle, even though I solved it 15 minutes ago, dragging it back to the middle and so on, every time *

Small update since this post was published: added dark theme, improved tooltips, more optimization for phones, "Share" button, puzzle intro on first visit, and PWA support, so the app installs like a regular app. Still open to feedback! I'd really apprecia

Andrii — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:19:44 +0000

Andrii

Aug 24

I created an interactive version of the Zebra puzzle (Einstein's riddle) - I would appreciate your feedback!

#showdev #frontend #webdev

2 min read

I created an interactive version of the Zebra puzzle (Einstein's riddle) - I would appreciate your feedback!

Andrii — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:09:33 +0000

My mom brought me this puzzle a long time ago — printed on a piece
of paper, because the adults at her work couldn't solve it. I don't
remember how long it took me, but I remember really liking it. Years
later, I decided to build a proper interactive version of it:
RiddleHouses.

What the puzzle actually is

If you haven't seen it before: it's the classic "Zebra Puzzle,"
sometimes called Einstein's Riddle (there's no real evidence
Einstein had anything to do with it — that part is just an urban
legend that stuck because it sounds more exclusive than it is). Five houses, five categories, fifteen clues, one correct answer — no guessing, just logic.

Why build it instead of solving it on paper again

On paper, you don't find out you made a wrong move until much later, when everything stops making sense and you have to backtrack. So the one thing I really cared about was real-time conflict checking — place a card, and if it breaks a clue, you know immediately instead of twenty steps later.

And even the intro screen is a tiny jigsaw puzzle you assemble before the game loads, just because it felt like a nice way to start.

What I actually want right now

Just honest feedback. Did it feel good to use? Was anything
confusing? Was it actually fun to solve this way?

One heads-up: it's best on a desktop or laptop right now — mobile
works, but I'm still smoothing it out.

It's free, no accounts, no ads — just an optional "buy me a coffee"
button if you want to support it.

👉 riddlehouses.com

Thanks for reading — and if you try it, I'd love to hear how it is
went.

DEV Community: Andrii

Many improvements and updates have been made

Small update since this post was published: added dark theme, improved tooltips, more optimization for phones, "Share" button, puzzle intro on first visit, and PWA support, so the app installs like a regular app. Still open to feedback! I'd really apprecia

I created an interactive version of the Zebra puzzle (Einstein's riddle) - I would appreciate your feedback!

I created an interactive version of the Zebra puzzle (Einstein's riddle) - I would appreciate your feedback!