Kuromasu facts for kids
Kuromasu (which means "black cells" in Japanese) is a fun and challenging logic puzzle. It's a bit like Sudoku, but instead of numbers, you figure out if cells should be black or white. The puzzle was created by a Japanese company called Nikoli, which is famous for inventing many popular puzzles.
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How to Play Kuromasu
Kuromasu is played on a grid, usually a rectangle. Some squares, called "cells," already have numbers in them. Your goal is to figure out if each empty cell should be colored black or left white.
Here are the main rules you need to follow:
- See the White Cells: Each number in a cell tells you how many white cells you can "see" from that spot. This includes the numbered cell itself. You can see cells in the same row or column, but only if there are no black cells blocking your view. Think of black cells as walls!
- Numbered Cells are White: Any cell that has a number in it must always be white. It can never be black.
- No Black Cells Next to Each Other: You cannot have two black cells touching each other side-by-side (horizontally) or up-and-down (vertically). They must always have at least one white cell or an empty space between them.
- All White Cells Must Be Connected: All the white cells on the board must form one big connected group. You should be able to travel from any white cell to any other white cell by moving only horizontally or vertically through other white cells.
Tips for Solving Kuromasu
Solving Kuromasu puzzles can be tricky, but there are some smart ways to start and make progress.
Start with Numbered Cells
Remember, all numbered cells must be white. This is a very important first step.
- Cells with Small Numbers: If you see a cell with a small number, like a "2," and it's next to another numbered cell, you can often figure out a lot. Both the "2" cell and the other numbered cell must be white. If the "2" can only "see" these two cells, then any other cells around it (in the same row or column) must be black. This helps you block off areas.
- Cells with a Gap: If you have a "2" and another numbered or white cell in the same row or column, with just one empty cell between them, that empty cell must be black. Why? Because if it were white, the "2" would be able to see at least three cells, which is more than its number allows.
Look for Maximum Numbers
Sometimes, a cell will have a very large number. This can be a big clue!
- Filling in White Cells: If a number in a cell is the largest possible number of cells it could ever "see" in that puzzle, then all those cells must be white. For example, in a 7x7 grid, the most cells you can see from one spot is 13 (the cell itself, plus 6 in its row, plus 6 in its column). If you see a "13" in a 7x7 puzzle, you know that every single cell in that cell's row and column must be white. This helps you fill in many white cells quickly.
By using these strategies, you can slowly fill in the grid, marking cells as black or white until the entire puzzle is solved!
