Nurikabe @ Daily Sudoku

Click the grid above for a printable page

Welcome to Nurikabe @ the Daily Sudoku!

Are you a Sudoku fan? Are you looking for a new challenge? Give Nurikabe a try!

The latest puzzle is shown on the right. Three new puzzles are available each week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Check the puzzles page for previous puzzles.

Like Sudoku, Nurikabe is played on a grid. Like Sudoku, Nurikabe is a purely logic puzzle. Like Sudoku, each puzzle has only one solution, and like Sudoku, that solution can be reached without resorting to trial and error. Like Sudoku, puzzles can be very easy, presenting even the beginner with a 5 or 10 minute diversion, or very hard, occupying the hardened puzzler with a significant challenge.

The Objective

The object of Nurikabe is to shade each square black or leave it white, based on a few simple rules. Nurikabe does have more rules than Sudoku, but they quickly become intuitive.

The rules

Each square must be black or white. Nurikabe has 4 additional rules:

• Each group of white cells ("islands") must contain only one number
• The number of white squares in a group must equal that number
• All black squares must be linked together to form a continous block (the "wall" or "stream")
• 2x2 blocks of black squares are disallowed

Walk through the tutorial example puzzle for more information.

Background

Like Sudoku, Nurikabe has its roots in Japan. In Japanese folklore, the Nurikabe is an invisible wall that blocks the path of a traveller. The Nurikabe puzzle is also known as "islands in the stream". We mix "wall" and "island" metaphors mercilessly here!

Want more?

"The Nurikabe Book", by Sam Griffiths-Jones and published by Harriman House, is now available from all good bookshops.

You might also want to take a look at the Daily SuDoku E-Books page.