Strategy guides · Nonogram online
How to solve nonograms: rules and strategies
A nonogram, also called paint by numbers, hanjie or a Japanese crossword, hides a picture behind numbers. Shadegrid is Fiplay's version. Every cell can be worked out by logic, one line at a time.
The rules
The numbers beside each row and above each column list its runs of shaded cells, in order. A 3 1 means a run of three shaded cells, then at least one empty cell, then a single shaded cell. Shade the right cells to reveal the picture.
1. The overlap trick
In a row of 10, a run of 7 can start at the left edge or end at the right edge. Either way, the middle four cells are covered. Push every run as far left as it goes, then as far right: cells covered in both positions are shaded.
2. Complete lines
Add up a line's numbers plus one gap between each pair. If the total equals the line's length, there's only one arrangement. A row of 10 with 4 5 is solved immediately: four shaded, one empty, five shaded.
3. Edges anchor runs
A shaded cell next to the edge must belong to the first run in that line. If the first number is 3, the two cells after it are shaded too, and the cell after that is empty.
4. Cross out what can't be shaded
Marking empty cells is as important as shading. Once a line's runs are all placed, cross out the rest. Those crosses then limit where runs can go in the crossing lines.
Common mistakes
- Working only on rows. Switch to columns as soon as a row gives you new cells.
- Forgetting the gap between runs.
- Guessing to see the picture. The picture appears on its own when the logic is right.