Notes on this puzzle
This easy slider scatters 8 tiles across a 3×3 tray, with the gap in row 2, column 1. Not a single tile starts in its home square.
Add up how far each tile is from its home square and you get 19, so no solution can be shorter than 19 moves. The shortest possible solution is exactly 27 moves. Matching it is a real achievement. Tile 1 has the longest trip home: 4 squares.
Where to beginOn the small board, think two or three moves ahead and look for short cycles that bring two tiles home together.