Small nonograms in large print

The rules

• Each square is either shaded or left empty.
• The numbers beside a row give the lengths of the shaded runs in that row, in order from left to right. The numbers above a column do the same from top to bottom.
• Two runs in the same line must have at least one empty square between them.
• A clue of 0, or no clue, means the whole line is empty.
• Tap a square to shade it, tap again to mark it with a cross as certainly empty, and once more to clear it.

How to start a nonogram

Begin with the lines that have no choice. In the 5 by 5 grid, a clue of 5 means the whole line is shaded. A clue of 3 1 or 1 3 also fills the line completely, because three squares, one gap and one square add up to five. A clue of 2 2 does the same, and so does 1 1 1. Shade these lines first and put a cross in their gaps.

Next come the large single runs. A run of 4 in a line of five can sit at the left or at the right, and either way the three middle squares are shaded. A run of 3 always covers the centre square. In general, picture the run pushed as far left as it will go, then as far right; any square covered both times is certain. In the 7 by 7 grid a line whose only run is 4 or longer always gives at least one certain square.

Now use what you have. Every shaded square belongs to a row and to a column, so a square shaded for the sake of its row is new information for its column. If a column's clue is 1 and it now has its one shaded square, cross out every other square in that column. Crosses matter as much as shading: they shorten the space the remaining runs can sit in.

Keep going from line to line. Every grid here was accepted only if a line-by-line solver could finish it without guessing, so there is always some row or column that can be taken a step further.

Tips for printing and playing

• On paper, shade with a soft pencil and mark certain empty squares with a small dot or cross.
• Start with the 5 by 5 level. It has twenty-five squares and is the plainest way to see how the clues work.
• The finished grid is a pattern, not a picture. Do not expect it to look like anything.
• Count the clue again when a line is done; a run that is one square too long is the usual slip.
• Check marks squares that are wrong. Reveal one settles a single square when you want a nudge.

How these puzzles are made and checked

The clues are counted again from the stored picture, then a separate solver starts from the clues alone. The puzzle is kept only if it finds exactly one picture, the stored one, without ever having to guess.

The puzzle of the day is chosen by the date on your device: puzzle 1 was the puzzle for 1 January 2026, and the number goes up by one each day. 5 by 5: 366 puzzles, so the same puzzle comes round again after 366 days. 7 by 7: 366 puzzles, so the same puzzle comes round again after 366 days. Every number stays open in the archive control above the grid. More detail is on the page how the puzzles are made, checked and printed.