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Draw a single closed loop passing through all circles. The loop must go straight through white circles and turn at black circles.
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About Masyu
Masyu is a Nikoli loop puzzle played on a grid of white and black circles. You must draw a single closed loop that passes through every circle. At white circles, the loop must travel straight through without turning, and must turn in at least one of the two adjacent cells. At black circles, the loop must make a 90° turn, and must travel straight through both adjacent cells.
These local constraints at each circle, combined with the requirement for a single complete loop, create a beautifully interlocked deduction structure. Determining the loop’s path near one circle often forces segments elsewhere, which in turn resolve other circles in a satisfying chain.
Masyu (originally called “Pearl”) is one of Nikoli’s most celebrated inventions. The two circle types create two fundamentally different kinds of constraint that must work together harmoniously, giving Masyu an elegant mathematical flavor alongside its visual appeal.
Circles near corners or grid edges are the most constrained and the best starting points. A black circle in a corner has only one valid orientation; a white circle against the edge cannot be the straight-through direction perpendicular to that edge.
Frequently asked questions
What is Masyu?
Masyu is a loop puzzle. Draw one closed loop through all circles. At white circles the loop must go straight and turn in at least one adjacent cell. At black circles the loop must turn and go straight in both adjacent cells.