Bridges (Hashi)
Link every island with bridges so all numbers are met.
How to play Bridges
Bridges is a logic puzzle from Japan, where it is called Hashiwokakero, or Hashi for short. The board is a sea with round islands. Each island shows a number. Your job is to build bridges between the islands.
Goal
Connect the islands so that all of these rules are true:
- Every island has exactly as many bridges as its number.
- Bridges run in straight lines, across or up and down, from one island to the next island in that line.
- Two islands can be joined by one or two bridges, never more.
- Bridges may not cross each other or pass over an island.
- All islands must end up linked into one group, so you can travel from any island to any other.
Every puzzle here has exactly one solution, checked by a solver before you see it.
Step by step
- Tap an island to select it. Dotted lines show which islands it can reach.
- Tap one of those islands to build a bridge. Tap it again for a double bridge, and once more to remove it.
- You can also drag from an island toward a neighbour, or tap a bridge to change it.
- With the keyboard, move between islands with the arrow keys. Press Enter to select an island, then press an arrow to build a bridge that way. Shift + arrow builds without selecting.
- An island turns green when it has the right number of bridges and red when it has too many. Press Undo to go back a step.
Levels
Easy uses a 7×7 sea with about 10 islands and needs only simple counting. Medium is 9×9 and needs you to test an idea now and then. Hard is 11×11 with 23 or more islands.
End of the game
The puzzle is solved when every island is full and all islands form one network. The timer stops and shows your time. Your game is saved in this browser. For another puzzle with lines, try Loop.
Strategy tips
- Start with full islands. An island with one neighbour and a 2 needs a double bridge there. A 4 in a corner, a 6 on an edge and an 8 anywhere must use double bridges in every direction.
- Count the room. If an island's number is one less than the most it could hold, it still needs at least one bridge to each neighbour. For example, a 3 with two neighbours gets one bridge to each.
- Don't close small groups. Two islands of 1 can never join each other, and two 2s can never use a double bridge, unless they are the only islands. That would cut them off from the rest.
- Watch crossings. A bridge you have built blocks every bridge that would cross it. This often leaves a nearby island with only one way to go.
- Update as you go. After each bridge, look at the islands at both ends. A full island removes options for its neighbours.
Bridges FAQ
Is Bridges the same as Hashi?
Yes. Bridges, Hashi and Hashiwokakero are names for the same puzzle. It means "build bridges" in Japanese.
Does every puzzle have one answer?
Yes. A solver checks each new puzzle, so there is exactly one way to place the bridges.
Why can't I build a bridge?
Bridges cannot cross. If a bridge is in the way, it blinks red. Remove it first, or build a different bridge.
How do I remove a bridge?
Tap the bridge, or tap its two islands again, until it disappears. It goes from one bridge to two bridges to none. You can also press Undo.
