How to play Pearl Path
Draw one closed loop through every pearl: straight through white pearls, turning on black ones. Also known as Masyu.
The rules
- Draw a single closed loop through the centres of cells, moving horizontally and vertically. It may not cross or touch itself.
- The loop must pass through every pearl.
- White pearl ○: the loop goes straight through, and turns in at least one of the cells just before or after.
- Black pearl ●: the loop turns at the pearl, and goes straight for at least one more cell in both directions.
- Cells without pearls may be visited or left empty.
Playing Pearl Path on Puzzle Solvers
- Pick a grid size and difficulty and press New Puzzle.
- Click and drag between cells to draw the loop.
- Undo, Clear and Check are on the toolbar; the Progress panel shows whether the loop is closed.
- Send to Solver shows the solution step by step; Send to Slate puts the puzzle on a Slate whiteboard.
Using the Pearl Path solver
- Pick White or Black and click cells to place pearls; click a pearl to cycle it (white → black → empty).
- Press Solve: the solver applies the pearl rules, extends the forced segments and finishes with backtracking.
A worked example
A black pearl sits one cell from the top edge. It needs two straight cells in each of its two directions, and there is only one cell above it — so it cannot go up. It goes down two cells, and turns left or right.
A white pearl on the left edge cannot go left–right (that leaves the grid), so it runs up–down, straight through.
Strategies
- Black pearls at the edge. A black pearl next to the edge must send its line two cells away from the edge.
- White pearls on the edge. A white pearl on the border can only run parallel to it.
- Three whites in a line. Three white pearls in a row force the loop to cross them at right angles.
- Two blacks side by side. Adjacent black pearls must both extend their lines away from each other.
- No small loops. Joining two line ends that would close a loop early is never allowed unless every pearl is on it.
Common mistakes
- Turning on a white pearl or going straight through a black one.
- Forgetting the white pearl's turn — at least one neighbour along the line must be a corner.
- Closing the loop before every pearl is on it.
Where it comes from
This pearl loop puzzle was introduced by a Japanese puzzle publisher in 1999 under the name Masyu.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pearl Path the same as Masyu?
Yes — the same rules. Pearl Path is this site's name for it.
How do I draw in the game?
Click and drag between cells to draw loop segments; drag again to remove one.
Can I solve a puzzle from a book?
Place the pearls in the Pearl Path Solver (white, black, erase) and click Solve.
Keep going
- Play Pearl Patha fresh puzzle every time
- Pearl Path Solverstep by step, every move explained
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