How to play Hidden Snake
Find the snake — one unbroken line from head to tail — using the row and column counts. It never touches itself. Also known as Snake puzzle.
The rules
- The snake’s head and tail are shown. Its body is one line of squares joined across or down.
- Each part of the body joins exactly two others; the head and tail join one.
- The snake never touches itself, not even diagonally, and never fills a 2×2 block.
- The numbers outside count the snake squares in each row and column (a ? means not shown).
Playing Hidden Snake on Puzzle Solvers
- Choose a grid size and difficulty, then press New Puzzle.
- Tap or drag to mark snake squares. Use the Empty tool (or right-click) to mark squares you know are empty.
- The snake is one unbroken line from the head to the tail, across or down. It never touches itself, not even diagonally.
- The numbers outside count the snake squares in each row and column. Hint explains the next square.
A worked example
Column 1 has a count of 1, and the head is in its top square. So the rest of column 1 is empty.
The head now has only one possible neighbour — the square to its right — so the snake goes there.
Strategies
- Zeros first. A row or column with 0 has no snake at all.
- Full rows. If a row needs as many snake squares as it has free squares, they are all snake.
- Follow the head. The head joins exactly one neighbour. If only one neighbour is still possible, the snake goes there.
- Two neighbours. A body square has exactly two snake neighbours. Once it has two, its other neighbours are empty.
- No corner touching. Two snake squares that meet only at a corner must be joined through one of the other two squares of their block.
Common mistakes
- Letting the snake touch itself at a corner.
- Forgetting that the head and tail count in their rows and columns too.
Where it comes from
Snake puzzles with row and column counts appear in many puzzle collections. This version was made for this site and always has one answer.
Frequently asked questions
What does a ? mean?
That row or column’s count is not shown — you will have to work it out from the others.
Why are some body squares given?
On some grids a piece of the body is shown so that the snake is unique.
Is there always one answer?
Yes — every puzzle is checked so that logic alone finds the snake.
Keep going
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