How do you chord without a mouse?

Chording needs two simultaneous button presses, which is easy with a mouse and awkward without one. On a trackpad the reliable method is to enable two-button clicking and press both zones at once; on a touchscreen chording is usually unavailable altogether.

By device

DeviceHow to chord
MousePress left and right buttons together on a satisfied number
Mac trackpadEnable secondary click, then press with two fingers while holding the click
Windows precision trackpadPress the bottom-left and bottom-right click zones together
KeyboardMove the cursor to the number and press the chord key
TouchscreenGenerally not available - tap and long press are the only two inputs

If chording is genuinely not possible

Go flagless. Chording only pays off because you flagged first, and on a device where chording does not work, those flags cost you a click each and return nothing. On an Expert board that is 99 wasted actions. Skipping flags entirely is usually faster on touch than any attempt to reproduce a chord.

Why chording matters enough to bother

One chord can open up to eight cells in a single action, which makes it the largest speed gain in the game. If you play seriously and your hardware cannot chord, a basic two-button mouse is the single most effective upgrade available to you - far more than any change in technique.

Related

Last reviewed

More questions?

Browse all FAQ topics or visit the Help Center for in-depth guides.

Back to FAQ → | Help Center →