Japanese crosswords (scanwords) are encoded images. Player Challenge and Goal logic game- solve this image.

The coding goes like this. Let's say we have an image:

For each line, we count the lengths of the shaded segments and write these numbers next to the corresponding stripes:

Now we repeat the same operation for the scanword columns and write the corresponding sets of numbers above the columns:

Now we remove the image and leave only the numbers. This is a ready-made Japanese crossword puzzle:

The player's task is to reconstruct the picture using only numbers.

General logic and tactics for solving Japanese crosswords

The logic is very simple. You need to find horizontal lines or vertical columns where you can draw some conclusion about which cells are shaded and which are not shaded. You display these logical conclusions with labels. As you receive more and more new clues, you move further and further until the crossword puzzle is completely solved.

Let's now look at some techniques

Where to start solving a Japanese crossword puzzle

At first, the scanword is not filled in. For now you only know the numbers. Let's see what you can do in this situation.

The simplest techniques: solving at first sight

As you have seen, there are times when you can definitely tell how a row is filled. For example:

can be filled in only one way - all cells are painted over.

A slightly less obvious case:

turns out to be just as simple and unambiguous:

But such situations do not occur often.

Partial solution of the crossword puzzle at a glance

Often a row or column cannot be fully figured out right away, but we can still draw some conclusions about how it is filled.

Let's look at an example:

There are three possible filling options:

As you can see, in all these options the third cell is painted over. From this we can conclude: “We don’t know exactly how this row is filled, but the third cell in it is definitely filled”:

A similar approach works in more complex logical problems. Example:

The following options are possible here:

and we can conclude that there are as many as four filled cells in the scanword:

We have not solved the series completely, but we have received quite a bit of information. Let's now see how to use it and continue solving it.

How to continue solving a crossword puzzle using incomplete information.

So. Do you already know something about how to clarify these conclusions and get closer to a complete solution?

Let's introduce one more notation. We will denote with the symbol “✕” those positions that we know for sure that they are not shaded.

Such information is also very valuable when solving.

You know something is painted over

If you already know that some cell in a row/column is shaded, then you can often conclude that some cells are definitely not shaded.

The simplest case is when there is only one strip in a row. Let's say you have this situation:

We already know that one cell must be painted over. And we are left with only three options:

That is, we can say with confidence that the two outermost cells on each side are definitely not painted:

If there is more than one colored stripe in a row/column, then the situation becomes more complicated, but even here a conclusion can be drawn.

Consider this example:

At first glance, the shaded cell could be part of either of the two stripes, and we cannot say anything definite. But if you look closely, it becomes clear that a strip of two cells cannot be located to the right of the shaded cell. After all, then they will stick together and there will no longer be two cells in the strip. This means that the rightmost cell is definitely empty:

And applying the knowledge from the previous presentation, we can draw a conclusion about two more cells:

And this is already very good.

You know something is not painted over

At the previous step, we began to see cells that we know for sure that they are not painted over. This is very useful information and very easy to use.

Very often you can infer other unfilled cells. Let's look at an example:

Here all the strips have a length of 2, which means none of them can fit to the right of an unfilled cell. This means that the rightmost cell is not painted over.

And of course, we can draw a conclusion about two more cells, using the techniques described above (by considering all the options for the location of the shaded stripes, and highlighting the cells that turn out to be shaded in any case):

We found out the color of three cells in the scanword puzzle.

Let's consider another logical technique.

Unfilled cells divide the line/column into segments, and quite often it is possible to determine which segments contain which stripes. Look at the example:

For convenience, I designated the segments with letters of the Latin alphabet.

It is clear that segment A is empty, since it cannot contain a segment of four shaded cells. Conclusion one:

Two two-cell segments cannot fit into segment D (otherwise they will “stick together”). This means that each of our three segments occupies one of the three remaining segments. We can draw the following conclusions about the first two segments:

Overall, we have made good progress.

By combining these logical techniques you can solve any Japanese crossword puzzle. Or rather, any crossword puzzle on this site, since there are unsolvable ambiguous Japanese crosswords. But all the scanwords on this site have been checked and are not only solvable, but also allow for a step-by-step solution.

Instructions

Remember that each number shows how many cells should be in a column or row. It is necessary to paint over the cells, following the order in the rows from left to right, and in the columns - from top to bottom.

Now start coloring the columns in the column where there is one number at a time, do not forget that you need to paint the columns from top to bottom. Also cross out and put dots in the places where the ones are first, these are empty squares and do not need to be painted over. Then, looking at the second ones in the columns, begin to paint over the required number of squares.

Look what happens to the lines; if there are single numbers, then fill in the squares from left to right. If the squares are already filled in, then feel free to cross out the numbers in the lines that coincide with these squares.

Proceed to the top part of the crossword only if the bottom part has already been solved. Follow exactly the same steps as at the bottom of the crossword, but remember to stick to the numbers written in the columns and rows. Once the simplified Japanese has been solved, you can begin solving more challenging puzzles. They develop logical thinking and allow you to relax and enjoy the result.

Sources:

• Rules for solving Japanese crossword puzzles

There are also tasks in scanword puzzles that contain a potential set of correct answers (for example, “a river in Russia”) or require you to match a word (for example, “sadness”). To solve them, you need to count the number of cells allocated for the answer in order to eliminate options that are too long and too short (for example, if the answer to the task “sadness” contains 5 letters, then the option “sadness” will definitely not work). Then you need to solve any word that intersects with the given one in order to open the clue letter (for example, if in the answer to the task “sadness” the second letter is revealed - “p”, then the answer will be the word “”, not “melancholy”) .

If great difficulties arise in solving tasks, you can turn to any auxiliary means: geographical atlases, dictionaries of synonyms, search engines. However, all these measures should be taken only if your goal is simply to solve the crossword puzzle, and not to test your erudition.

Helpful advice

Scanword puzzles adapted for solving using a computer are no different from their paper counterparts and are solved according to the same rules.

Many puzzle lovers find that solving Japanese crosswords is much more interesting than regular ones. After all, they are based on the laws of logic and do not depend on the level of general erudition, so even children successfully compete with adults in solving them.

When solving Japanese, you must consider each column and each row separately. Only after completing the next segment can you move on to sketching the next group of cells.

Solving a Japanese crossword puzzle can be divided into several stages:

The first stage is to determine the cells that should be painted over without taking into account the location of the groups;
- at the second stage, those cells that cannot be painted over are determined (as a rule, they are crossed out with a cross);
- the third stage is identifying the numbers whose positions you have already calculated (they should also be crossed out).

Thus, marks will appear on the crossword puzzle field, which will later help you calculate new numbers. You need to solve it until you completely restore the image encrypted in it.

Sources:

• Learning to solve Japanese crosswords
• The history of Japanese crosswords

Hello, dear readers of the site. Japanese crosswords They differ from ordinary ones in that solving them does not require racking your brain to guess a variety of intricate words. The Japanese crossword puzzle contains an encrypted picture that needs to be unravel by painting the cells.

A crossword puzzle is a field consisting of a certain number of empty cells, which, during the solving process, are painted over in the required sequence, indicated by the clue numbers.

The clue numbers indicate the number of shaded cells in the vertical and horizontal lines of the crossword puzzle, and each number forms a group of closely shaded cells, between which there is a gap of one or more empty cells.

For ease of counting, cells are combined into squares of 5 cells, and the squares themselves are highlighted with thick lines, which allows you to count five cells at once.

Groups of cells are painted in the sequence in which the clue numbers are located: for a horizontal line, counting starts from left border fields, and for a vertical line from upper limit. But it is necessary to take into account that, depending on the pattern, there may be several empty cells between the first cell of the group and the border of the field.

For example.
Horizontal line with numbers 5 , 3 , 1 five cells -> pass -> group of three cells -> pass -> one cell.

Vertical line with numbers 4 , 1 , 1 can be painted like this: a group of four cells -> pass -> one cell -> pass -> one cell.

They begin to solve the crossword puzzle by searching for the largest clue numbers located in the vertical and horizontal lines, because these are the numbers with big amount merged cells are painted first, and then these painted cells are used as a starting point for further solving the crossword puzzle.

When solving Japanese crosswords, learn a few rules:

1. Use a simple pencil, as this gives you a chance in case of an error to erase the wrong solution and continue solving the crossword puzzle. In case of an error, I recommend not to waste time searching for the error, but to clear the field completely and start solving the crossword puzzle all over again.

2. When solving a crossword puzzle, you need to mark empty cells that cannot contain a picture. This reduces the search area and makes it easier to solve the pattern.
As a rule, empty cells are crossed out with a cross or marked with a dot. If you mark with dots, the drawing turns out to be more expressive.

3 . Each group of colored cells found is separated on both sides by a dot or a cross. Let's say that we have identified a group of five cells in the horizontal line 5, 3, 1. This means that we put a dot before the first and after the last cell.

When all groups of cells 5, 3, 1 are found in a horizontal line, then each is separated on both sides.

Well, now, when all three groups of cells are finally found in the horizontal line 5, 3, 1, but there are still empty cells left, then we fill these empty cells with dots, since there should be no more filled cells in this line.

We do the same with the vertical line.

4 . It is advisable to cross out the hint numbers, the lines of which will be completely filled with dots and groups. The crossed out number will indicate that the line is finished and you should no longer pay attention to this number.

5 . There are no approximate solutions to the Japanese crossword - only exact calculation. You cannot approximately paint over a cell or select an empty one.

The process itself solving a Japanese crossword puzzle It is very difficult to describe, because when solving it, many “ifs” arise that cannot be explained within one page. Take at least one cell, when painted over, several options with “if” may arise.

I suggest you watch videos where, in the process of solving crossword puzzles, I tried to tell the main points, possible nuances and little tricks. In the first video, an easy crossword puzzle is solved, designed for beginners, and in the second, a complex one is solved, but the explanation is also given with beginners in mind.

Instructions Before guessing the Japanese one, understand that it is made up of several colors and is based on two main requirements - you need to find areas of guaranteed shaded cells and identify places that do not have them. The puzzle itself consists of rows and columns, and the playing field is divided into squares, and each of them “rests” on one row and column. When solving Japanese, you must consider each column and each row separately. Only after completing the next segment can you move on to sketching the next group of cells. Solving a Japanese crossword puzzle can be divided into several stages: The first stage is to determine the cells that should be painted over without taking into account the location of the groups; - at the second stage, those cells that cannot be painted over are determined (as a rule, they are crossed out with a cross); - the third stage is identifying the numbers whose positions you have already calculated (they should also be crossed out). Thus, marks will appear on the crossword puzzle field, which will later help you calculate new numbers. You need to solve it until you completely restore the image encrypted in it. Sources: Learning to solve Japanese crosswords The history of Japanese crosswords Japanese crossword(otherwise known as nonogram) is a puzzle in which, unlike ordinary crosswords, not words, but images are encrypted. Similar nonograms appeared in Japan at the end of the 20th century and, despite their unusual appearance and seemingly frightening difficulty, they were able to gain popularity among puzzle lovers all over the world, including in Russia. Correctly solving a Japanese crossword means restoring an image encrypted using numbers. An encrypted image can be any object: transport, animal, person, any symbols. A professionally designed crossword puzzle should have only one logical solution without any options. Japanese crosswords are divided into two types - black and white and color. In black and white crosswords, the image contains only two corresponding colors: black and white, and the image itself can be either black on a white background or white on black. In color crosswords, an image is created using several colors. Learning to solve Japanese crosswords is not difficult. To do this, it is enough to master the algorithm for solving a nonogram for a sufficiently long time. simple example to understand the whole essence of this puzzle, and then you can safely choose crossword puzzles with complex images. Since the rules for solving color and black-and-white crosswords are somewhat different, let us first consider the features of composing and solving black-and-white crosswords. First, let's look at the diagram of such a crossword puzzle. example of a solved Japanese crossword puzzle As you can see, the Japanese crossword puzzle field is lined with horizontal and vertical lines of different thicknesses. The thickest lines separate the picture field from the numbers. Thinner lines divide the field into groups of 5 cells (both horizontally and vertically) solely for ease of counting. The image itself in the Japanese crossword puzzle is formed by painting individual cells black. An unpainted cell is considered white. In the process of solving it is necessary to reconstruct the picture using the available numbers. Thus, the numbers in the Japanese crossword grid on the left and above mean the number of shaded cells in a row, without gaps, horizontally and vertically, respectively. Each individual number represents a different group. For example, a set of numbers 7, 1 and 2 in a Japanese crossword puzzle grid means that there are three groups in this row: the first is of seven, the second is of one, and the third is of two black cells. Moreover, between the groups there must be at least one unshaded cell. Empty cells can also be at the edges of the rows. When solving a Japanese crossword puzzle, you need to determine the placement of these groups of cells. It is recommended to start solving the puzzle by finding horizontal lines or vertical columns, where you can draw some conclusion about which cells are shaded and which are not shaded. These logical conclusions can be displayed with special marks that will help you get new clues for solving the crossword puzzle. EXAMPLE SOLUTION TO A JAPANESE CROSSWORD: Let's look at a simple example consisting of 9 rows and 9 columns. picture 1 We will denote shaded cells with a black square, and an empty field with a blue cross. For convenience, we will cross out the numbers after determining their location. figure 2 First, let's see if there are lines in the crossword puzzle that should be completely filled in. It turns out that there is - in our case it is the number 9 in the fifth row and fifth column, which the arrows point to. Since the width of the crossword puzzle is exactly 9 cells, this means that all the cells in this line must be filled in. At the same time, we cross out both numbers 9 so that they no longer distract us. figure 3 Please note that as a result of the first step, we automatically found a solution for the first row, as well as for the first and ninth columns, where in all cases only one cell is shaded. This means that all other cells in these rows will be empty. Cross out all three numbers used and mark the empty cells. figure 4 Again we carefully study the result of previous actions. It becomes clear that the fourth line again defines the entire group of seven consecutive cells that can be safely shaded. Figure 5 You should always pay attention to the largest of the proposed numbers, which more easily provide a clue for further solving the puzzle. In our case, these are two sixes in the second and eighth column. Since the position of a group of six cells in these combinations will be ambiguous, let’s try to reason logically. At the same time, we will get acquainted with one of the basic principles of solving Japanese crossword puzzles. Let's remember a simple rule. If there is only one number next to a row or column, and it is more than half the length, then you can paint over several cells in the middle. In our case, these are the central four cells. No matter how you place a group of six cells in eight cells, the four central ones will definitely be shaded (i.e. 8-6=2, which means the number of “unknown” cells above and below). Since we have not yet made a final decision on these columns, we do not cross out the numbers themselves yet, but circle them in red. We'll return here later when we get a new lead. Figure 6 And again luck smiled on us. In the sixth and seventh lines, the solution was identified automatically as a result of previous manipulations. Cross out unnecessary numbers and mark empty cells. Figure 7 Since the crossword puzzle is quite simple, several options for its further solution are already being looked at. They are obvious. You can go either way. For example, again pay attention to the largest of the remaining numbers. Let's leave the five in the third line alone for now, because... It's easier to cross out the number 4 in the obvious sixth column first. Don't forget to mark empty cells. figure 8 Now there is no doubt about the location of the group of three cells in the adjacent column to the right.