Sudoku Online : Masyu - the latest craze?


Sudoku	Jigsaw	Killer	Samurai	Jig Samurai	Kakuro	Masyu	Hitori	Nurikabe	Hanidoku

Home

News & Features

Competitions & Archives

Forums

Showcase

Comment on the BBC article

Many people will have read the BBC on-line news article about the puzzle Masyu (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6745433.stm We were amused that it claimed that Masyu was a new puzzle. We're proud to say that Michael Mepham and MM Multimedia were publishing Masyu puzzles since January 2006. We acknowledge that we did not invent the puzzle and that the idea did come out of Japan but it is slightly older than the BBC article presents.

If you'd like to try out examples we have some you can print here.

Example 1 (8x8)	Solution 1 (8x8)
Example 2 (8x8)	Solution 2 (8x8)
Example 3 (8x8)	Solution 3 (8x8)
Example 4 (10x10)	Solution 4 (10x10)
Example 5 (10x10)	Solution 5 (10x10)
Example 6 (10x10)	Solution 6 (10x10)
Example 7 (12x12)	Solution 7 (12x12)
Example 8 (12x12)	Solution 8 (12x12)
Example 9 (12x12)	Solution 9 (12x12)

How to Play Masyu

Masyu is a charming but sophisticated invention where you are required to "string" black and white "pearls" with a string that forms a continuous loop. The string can only be horizontal or vertical. On unmarked cells the line that is the string can enter and exit in any two of the four sides of a cell. The trick and the trouble starts when the pearls are adjacent to one another. There are two rules according to the colour of the pearl:

Black pearls: A line going through a black pearl must enter and exit at right angles on the pearl. It must also extend straight for two squares in the chosen directions.
White pearls: A line goes straight through a white pearl. In one or both directions the line must perform a turn immediately after the white pearl. It is optional for it to turn in both cells after the pearl.

This can be an easy or difficult puzzle to master depending on how your mind works, but it has a lot of depth. Anyone familiar with the logic games like pushing barrels round an impossible room will enjoy this puzzle. Some tuition and examples are necessary to introduce masyu, but the strategies are simple. It will work as a on-line puzzle or downloadable game very well. We guarantee only one solution.

Strategies

Every pearl will have two lines coming out of it so it's a question of looking at which directions are possible
and whether they satisfy the rules. When drawing a line think of the centre of each cell as the start and end point
of each line segment.

White cells on the outside can only go in one direction, so you can mark lines out from that cell. They
won't go far unless there is a corner or obstruction.
Black cells can have lines that emanate in one of four patterns. If they are close to the edge or in
a corner you can see that certain directions are impossible. Draw in the possible lines.
If a line is being drawn that goes into a cell and then out, you have two other sides which are like
the edges of the board. They are effectively 'walls' and you can test nearby pearls to see if these
walls force a line.
Because of the continuous looping nature of the line you'll find cells which must extend in a certain
direction creating more walls.

The Logic of Sudoku - Order your copy today

Puzzle Showcase

?

LOST IN THE PUZZLE MAZE?
If you are looking for puzzles for your publication or an interactive puzzle
for your website, then look no further -- your search ends with a click here.

Michael Mepham Puzzle Showcase