How do you play Multiplication War?
In Multiplication War, each round you and the computer each turn over a multiplication card, such as 7 times 8. Your card is the big one in the middle, so you answer it, and the computer answers its own card on the small strip above. Whoever answers correctly and has the higher product wins the round and captures both cards. A correct answer always beats a wrong one, so getting your fact right matters even when your card is the smaller one, and if you both miss, nobody captures. After ten rounds, whoever has captured more cards wins the game.
Why a card game helps with the times tables
A card game helps with the times tables because it rewards fast, correct recall in a way a worksheet cannot. You want your product to be right and to beat the computer, so you answer quickly and you care about the result, which is exactly the state of mind that turns a fact you have to work out into one you simply know. Comparing the two products each round also quietly builds a sense of which facts are bigger, so numbers stop being random and start having a shape.
What age is Multiplication War for?
Multiplication War suits children from about age 7, once they have started the times tables in second or third grade. Start on Easy, which uses only the friendly 2, 5 and 10 tables and a computer that misses often enough to be beaten. Move to Medium for the 3 and 4 tables, and to Hard for every fact up to 12 times 12. If you want to build the tables first, the times tables practice page teaches each one in order before you come and race with them.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Multiplication War?
Each round you and the computer each turn over a multiplication card. Your card is the big one, so answer it. The computer answers its own card on the strip above, in plain sight. Whoever is correct and has the higher product wins the round and captures both cards. A correct answer always beats a wrong one, and if you both miss, nobody captures. After ten rounds, whoever has captured more cards wins.
Do I play against the computer?
Yes. The computer takes the other side and you can watch it answer its own card, so it never gets a hidden advantage. On Easy it misses about a third of the time, so a first game is winnable; on Medium and Hard it plays sharper. Every answer is typed on your device keypad, so there is nothing extra to learn.
Which times tables does it use?
Easy uses the friendly 2, 5 and 10 tables, Medium adds the 3 and 4 tables that a third grader learns next, and Hard uses every fact up to 12 times 12. No card ever multiplies by 1 or 0, so there are no throwaway questions, and the two cards in a round always have different answers.