How to play Kakuro
A crossword made of sums: fill the white squares so every run adds up to its clue.
The rules, step by step
- Each black square may show two numbers. The one at the top right is the total of the run of white squares to its right. The one at the bottom left is the total of the run below.
- Fill every white square with a digit from 1 to 9.
- The digits in one run must add up to the clue, and no digit may appear twice in the same run.
- A square belongs to one run across and one run down, so it has to satisfy both.
- You rarely need to guess. Press Check to see rule breaks, or Hint to fill in one square.
Where to start
A two-square run with a total of 3 must be 1 and 2. A total of 17 must be 8 and 9. A three-square run totalling 6 must be 1, 2 and 3.
When a square sits in two runs, only digits that fit both are possible.
Tips
- Short runs with very small or very large totals are the best starting points.
- Learn the few combinations that have only one way to make them.
- Red squares mean a repeated digit in a run, or a full run with the wrong total.