Many puzzle lovers find Japanese crossword puzzles to be much more fun to solve than regular ones. After all, they are based on the laws of logic and do not depend on the level of general erudition, therefore, in solving them, even children successfully compete with adults.
A typical Japanese crossword puzzle is a gridded field that contains an encrypted image. The player's task is to paint the cells correctly and get a picture based on the prompts. Each row or column contains information about the number of cells to be painted over. A line can contain several groups of filled cells, between which there must be a space of at least one cell.
To successfully solve Japanese crosswords, you need to prepare a pencil and an eraser to correct possible mistakes and follow a simple algorithm.
- Select the rows and columns that will be filled completely. That is, those in which the number of filled cells coincides with their total number.
- Now pay attention to the lines in which the location of the groups of filled cells and the space between them is obvious. For example, if a line consists of 13 cells, and you need to fill in 5 and 7, then there is only one way to do it. Mark empty cells with a cross or a dot.
- Look for options in which you can confidently paint over at least some of the cells in a row. If out of 20 cells you need to fill in 15, then wherever you start counting, 10 cells in the middle can be precisely shaded.
- It is already possible to understand which cells will remain empty. For example, you should paint 7 cells in a column, and the second, third or any cells up to the seventh from the top or bottom are already marked with a cross. This means that everything between it and the edge of the crossword puzzle also does not need to be painted over.
- Check all columns and rows. Maybe you have already shaded the required number of cells somewhere. Mark all the others with crosses.
- Repeat all steps from the beginning. With each new move, the picture changes, and you get additional information. Pay attention to the space between the crosses. It can exactly match the number of filled cells or, conversely, give you the opportunity to exclude it from the image.
The hardest thing to do is to solve Japanese crosswords, in which there are few solid filled lines. It is easier to locate one large group of cells than trying to guess how to fit 5 groups of 3 or 4 cells in a long line. It is these situations that raise the most questions for novice players. In this case, outline all possible options with thin lines. In practice, there are not many of them. You will see that some of the cells will be painted over anyway.
In addition to traditional black-and-white crosswords, there are also colored ones. Their main difference is that there may be no space between cells of different colors. They just seem more complicated. In fact, the principle of their solution is the same. Start with single-colored lines. By the time you get to the groups of different colors, you will already have something to start from.
Patience, attention and logic are what you need to remember when you pick up a new crossword puzzle.
