How to play every puzzle
Rules in plain English, a worked example, the strategies that matter and the mistakes to avoid — for every puzzle and game on Puzzle Solvers.
Number placement
- SudokuFill the grid so every row, column and box contains each digit exactly once.
- Killer SudokuSudoku rules plus cages: the digits in each dotted cage add up to its total and never repeat.
- CalcudokuFill an N×N grid with 1 to N — no repeats in a row or column — so every cage hits its target using its operation.
- KakuroA crossword with digits: each run of white cells adds up to its clue, using 1–9 without repeats.
- FutoshikiFill a Latin square so each row and column holds 1 to N once, and every inequality sign is true.
- SkyscrapersFill the grid with towers so every row and column holds each height once — and the edge clues count how many towers you can see.
- StraightsFill white cells so no digit repeats in a row or column, and each white compartment forms a straight — a set of consecutive numbers.
- Number SnakeFill in the missing numbers so 1, 2, 3 … N form one chain of touching cells.
- Magic grid puzzlesPlace each number once so every row and column hits its target — by adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing.
- KakurasuShade squares so each row and column adds up to its total — a shaded square is worth its column number in its row and its row number in its column.
- Sudoku VariantsClassic sudoku — every row, column and box holds each digit once — plus one extra rule that depends on the variant.
- Number BlocksFill each block of n squares with the numbers 1 to n, so that no two touching squares hold the same number.
- Number RegionsWrite a number in every square so that each region of joined, equal numbers has exactly that many squares.
- Ripple RoomsFill each room with 1 to its size so that any two equal numbers in the same row or column have at least that many squares between them.
- Edge LettersPlace each letter exactly once in every row and column, with blank squares between; edge letters show which letter you meet first from that side.
Shading, loops and patterns
- Binary PuzzleFill the grid with 0s and 1s: never three the same in a row, half of each in every line, and no two rows or columns alike.
- HitoriShade cells so no number repeats in a row or column, shaded cells never touch, and the rest stay connected.
- NurikabeShade a connected river around numbered islands — each island as big as its number.
- Pearl PathDraw one closed loop through every pearl: straight through white pearls, turning on black ones.
- NonogramShade cells so each row and column matches its number clue — and a picture appears.
- Star BattlePlace stars so every row, column and region holds the same number, and no two stars touch — not even diagonally.
- RectanglesSplit the grid into rectangles so each holds exactly one number, and that number is its area.
- BridgesJoin the islands with straight bridges so each island has as many bridges as its number, nothing crosses, and every island is connected.
- NonogramShade the grid so each row and column shows the blocks in its clue, in order — and reveal a hidden picture.
- TentsPitch a tent beside every tree — one each — so no two tents touch and every row and column has its count.
- Light UpPlace bulbs so every white square is lit, bulbs never shine on each other, and every number counts the bulbs beside its wall.
- SlitherlinkJoin the dots into one closed loop so that each number says how many of its square’s four sides the loop uses.
- GalaxiesSplit the grid into galaxies, each holding one dot and looking the same after a half turn around it.
- Sun & MoonFill the grid with suns and moons: the same number of each in every row and column, never three alike in a row, and every = or × sign obeyed.
- Number PathDraw one path from 1 that passes through every square once, reaching the numbers in order and ending on the highest number.
- SightlinesShade some squares so every number sees exactly that many white squares along its row and column, counting itself.
- Fleet FinderPlace the whole fleet so that each row and column has the right number of ship squares, with no ships touching.
- MosaicShade squares so that every number equals the count of shaded squares in the 3×3 block around it.
- Domino HuntSplit the grid into dominoes so that every domino of the set appears exactly once.
- ThermometersFill thermometers with mercury from the bulb up, with no gaps, so every row and column has the right number of filled squares.
- Water TanksFill tanks with water that lies flat and settles at the bottom, so every row and column has the right number of filled squares.
- MagnetsDecide which plates are magnets and which way round they go: like signs never touch, and the numbers count the + and − ends in each row and column.
- Four ColoursColour every region with one of four colours so that regions sharing a border never match.
- Mirror MazePlace a fish, bird or frog in every empty square so each number counts the creatures seen along its line of sight, bouncing off mirrors.
- Train TracksLay a single railway line from A to B through the squares, matching the row and column counts.
- Pipe LinkTurn the pipe pieces so they all join into one network, with no leaks, no loops and nothing pointing off the board.
- Domino ShadeShade exactly two squares in every region so the shaded squares form dominoes that never touch side to side.
- Tetro ShadeShade one piece of four connected squares (an L, I, T or S) in every region so that everything joins up, with no 2×2 blocks and no matching shapes touching.
- Room ShadeShade squares so each numbered room has that many shaded, shaded squares never touch, white squares stay joined, and no straight white line crosses two walls.
- Arrow LoopShade some squares and draw one loop through all the others, so that arrows count the shaded squares in their direction and shaded squares never touch.
Maths games
- Magic PathFind every number that fits the rule and join them all in one continuous path.
- BODMAS GameBuild equations that hit the target by applying the order of operations correctly.
- Maths CrosswordA crossword where every clue is a maths question and the answers are numbers.
- CodeBreakerFind the hidden 4-digit code from Bulls and Cows feedback — deduce, don't guess.
- Sum CirclesPlace 1 to 9 once each so every circle equals the total of the four squares around it.
- Equation SquarePlace 1 to 9 once each so every row and column, worked through with its signs, gives the answer at its end.
- Number ChainStart with a number, follow each step in order, and keep the running total in your head.
- Letter SumsReplace each letter with a digit — different letters, different digits, no leading zeros — so that every sum is correct.
- Make the NumberCombine the numbers you’re given with + − × ÷ to make the target exactly, using each number at most once.
- Number PyramidFill every brick so that each one equals the sum (or product) of the two bricks directly below it.
- Cross NumbersFill the grid with numbers so every across and down answer fits its maths clue, sharing digits where answers cross.
- Light SwitchEach press flips a square and its neighbours — find the presses that switch every light off.
- Sliding TilesSlide tiles into the empty square, one at a time, until they are back in order with the gap at the bottom right.
Board and strategy games
- Bagh ChalNepal's tigers-and-goats game: four tigers try to capture five goats; twenty goats try to trap every tiger.
- Lambs and TigersAn ancient South Indian hunt game: three tigers try to capture five lambs; fifteen lambs try to trap all three.
- TaflThe Viking board game: the king must escape to the edge or a corner while attackers try to surround him.
- NimTake turns removing objects; play the right move and you can always win — the maths tells you which.
- Peg SolitaireJump pegs over each other to remove them; finish with one peg — ideally in the centre.
- TangramUse all seven pieces to fill the silhouette exactly — no gaps, no overlaps.
Tools and reference
- Using the solversBuild, check and solve any puzzle step by step.
- Downloads & Slate filesDownload up to 50 puzzles as a PDF or a Slate file.
- Sudoku techniquesFrom naked singles to X-Wings, Swordfish and chains.
- Killer Sudoku combinationsEvery cage sum for 2 to 9 cells.
- Kakuro combinationsEvery run total, unique sums highlighted.
- Calcudoku cage combinations+ − × ÷ cages for 4×4 to 9×9.
- Puzzle glossaryCage, run, candidate, Latin square and more.
- Maths puzzles for kidsWhich puzzles suit which ages.
- Puzzles for the classroomFree, no sign-up, ready for a projector.