Problems, information, tips, tutorial on Microsoft Jewel.

I have been playing Microsoft Jewel. Interesting game, but am hitting a wall. Can't find any help. Skimpy rules and play. I usually top out about 46,000 points. Game states "No Matches" and terminates. Anyone know any more about this game?
• Classic Match 3 Puzzle Game
• Match Identical Gems to Earn Points
• Complete Color Challenges to Level Up
• Endless Mode of Play – no score is out of reach!
• Magical World of Match 3 Fun


Swap Jewels to Match:

Match 3 or more identical jewels in a single move to make a match and watch as it magically disappear. Drag, click, or tap a jewel to move it vertically or horizontally in the direction to complete a match. To earn the most points, fill up the color meters to complete each level and add score multipliers to your next board. The game ends when you run out of moves.

Paul, thanks for your help. I feel like I am missing some kind of tutorial. There is a strategy, or several beyond the links. Mostly I crash (no matches) about 46,000, but have gotten on rare occasions to over 100,000! Even, once, to 185k!

Your links have some good advice, work from the top down and go slowly.

Aren't you supposed to go from bottom. as there is higher chance you will get random connections. I played something slightly different so maybe that's not the case here! Also I break horizontal lines, which allows more possibilities to break lines. Also if you do that quickly you can get momentum, but it depends on a game I guess!

empleat said:

Aren't you supposed to go from bottom. as there is higher chance you will get random connections. I played something slightly different so maybe that's not the case here! Also I break horizontal lines, which allows more possibilities to break lines. Also if you do that quickly you can get momentum, but it depends on a game I guess!

There is a strategy where you first get points by clearing jewels according to a placement on the left. FI get as many as the blue jewels cleared (when a certain number of blue are cleared, you are then to go for another color) and you get points and multipliers for greater scoring.
Early in the game, scoring at the bottom bring large returns, mostly by chance. But you need to be more careful as you have 40,000 points and see how clearing affects the whole board. I shift to top levels and being sure that I do have matchable points still available. When you run out of possible combinations, the game closes since you cannot match anything.

It is difficult to strategize as when you match up jewels, the entire board can be reshuffled, by the game itself with no reason. It just does it!

Ah I played something else then...

I am seeing that my jewel suffel takes out jewels is is not suppose to remove, It may take out a blue jewel when I have lined up three three yellows, I do not know what to do with my " ghost 'that appear in the later on in the game. The ghost are see thru boxes that have lights that twinkle.