Puzzle Games
How to play Kakuro
Fill every white cell so across and down runs meet their sums without repeating digits. Each intersection must satisfy both clues; there are no turns or points.
What you need
A Kakuro grid, pencil and eraser, or a digital implementation
Set up the game
- Find the white runs and their dark clue cells. A divided clue cell gives a sum for the run to its right or below.
- Keep tiny candidates separate from final answers. A clue is a sum, not a digit to copy.
Playing Kakuro
- Use digits 1 through 9 only.
- List distinct-digit combinations for each run length and sum. Two cells totaling 4 need 1 and 3.
- Compare candidates at crossing runs; a cell must be possible in both.
- Subtract settled digits from both crossing sums and update the remaining candidates.
- Finish only when every white cell is filled and every sum and no-repeat restriction holds.
A contradiction is useful evidence
An across two-cell run totals 4, so its candidates are {1,3}. The down two-cell run through its first cell totals 17 and needs {8,9}. The sets do not overlap. This is not a difficult choice: a copied clue, boundary or previous number is wrong. Check that error now instead of carrying it into the rest of the grid.
Use both clues before committing
A locally correct sum may still be globally wrong. If two cells total 4, one is 1 and one is 3. A crossing that excludes 1 fixes its cell as 3 and its partner as 1. Leave both penciled until that extra evidence appears. Work outward from intersections instead of filling an entire entry just because its numbers happen to add up.
Beginner decisions
- Keep combinations unordered until a crossing fixes a position. Knowing a run contains 1 and 3 does not tell you which goes first.
- Record residual totals in long entries to reduce repeated arithmetic.
Common rule mix-ups
- Using 2+2 for a two-cell total of 4.
- Applying a no-repeat rule to an entire row rather than each run.
Questions about this game
Can a digit repeat in a row?
Yes, in separate runs divided by dark cells, provided each crossing also works.
Should I guess?
Check arithmetic and candidate lists first; a well-constructed logic puzzle should provide deductions.
Sources and edition notes
Standard Nikoli Kakuro: digits 1–9, without repetition within an uninterrupted across or down run.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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