About Nonogram
A nonogram is a grid puzzle where numbers beside each row and above each column describe which squares to fill in. You use those clues to work out the filled pattern square by square. In this version every puzzle is a randomly generated pattern rather than a drawn picture, and you can play on three grid sizes.
How to play
- Each clue lists the lengths of the runs of filled squares in that row or column, in order. A clue of 3 1 means a run of three filled squares, then at least one gap, then a single filled square.
- A clue of 0 means the whole line is empty.
- Grids come in 5 x 5, 8 x 8 and 10 x 10. Each square of a new puzzle has a slightly better than even chance (55 percent) of being filled, so boards tend to be fairly dense.
- The puzzle is solved as soon as your filled squares match every row and column clue. If the clues allow more than one pattern, any pattern that fits them is accepted.
- Cross marks are just notes for yourself; they are treated as empty when checking.
- Every fill or cross counts as a move. Solving scores 10 points per square in the grid minus your moves, so a 10 x 10 is worth up to 1000, with a minimum of 10.
Controls
- Mouse: left-click a square to fill it or clear it. Right-click to place or remove a cross.
- Touch: tap to fill. Turn on the cross mode button above the grid to make taps place crosses instead.
- The size menu chooses the grid and starts a new puzzle.
Tips and strategy
- Start with clues that nearly fill their line. On a 10-wide row, a clue of 8 forces the middle six squares, because a run of 8 must cover them wherever it sits.
- Add up clues with their gaps. A row clued 4 5 on a 10-wide grid needs 4 + 1 + 5 = 10 squares, so it is completely determined.
- Mark squares you know are empty with crosses. Crosses split lines into smaller sections, which often makes the next deduction obvious.
- Fill whole lines with crosses when they are 0 clues or when every run in them is already placed.
- Since every click counts as a move, plan a deduction fully before you start clicking, and avoid filling and unfilling the same square.
- Because puzzles are random, some can not be finished by pure logic. If you get stuck, make a careful guess in the line with the fewest possibilities.
Background
Nonograms were invented in Japan in 1987, independently by graphic designer Non Ishida and puzzle author Tetsuya Nishio. The name combines Non with diagram. They are also known as Picross, Griddlers, Hanjie and Paint by Numbers, and in their traditional form the solved grid reveals a small picture.
Questions
- Is there a single correct answer?
- Not always. Random patterns sometimes allow more than one solution. The game accepts any arrangement whose filled squares match all of the clues.
- Do crosses affect the solution?
- No. Crosses are only reminders and count as empty squares, though placing one does add to your move count.