Hashiwokakero

Hashi O Kakero means literally to "build bridges", which is exactly what you need to do to solve these puzzles. This puzzle type first appeared in September 1990 in Japan in Puzzle Communication Nikoli, although a slightly different version was published about a year earlier. It's also been published under the name Bridges in the US and UK, and at one point was called Chopsticks due a mistranslation of the Hashi character. In several European countries it has been called Ai-Ki-Ai.

The rules are simple. Each island must be connected to every other island in a network. All bridges must begin and end at an island, going only in a straight line. Bridges can be placed left/right and up/down, but not diagonally. Bridges cannot cross islands or other bridges. A pair of islands can be connected by one or two bridges. The number of bridges leaving an island must match the number on that island.

The larger the puzzle grid the harder it is to solve. We have put together some a range of Hashi puzzles in our books. We hope you enjoy them.