⬛ How to play Hitori
By Miguel Arechaga
Hitori is a Japanese logic puzzle whose name means "alone" or "by yourself". Unlike Sudoku, you don't write numbers here: the grid starts out full, and what you need to do is black out some cells following three rules. It's a highly addictive pastime with a beautiful kind of logic. Here we explain how to play and a few tricks.
What is Hitori?
It's a grid puzzle full of numbers. The goal is to black out the cells needed so that, among the cells that stay white, no number repeats in the same row or column, while also meeting two conditions about the blacked-out cells.
Rules and how to play step by step
- Black out cells so that no number repeats in any row or column among the white cells.
- Two blacked-out cells can't be adjacent horizontally or vertically (diagonally is fine).
- All the white cells must be connected to each other, forming a single region.
- Every puzzle has a unique solution.
Tricks to solve Hitori
- Numbers repeated three times: if a number appears three times in a line, the middle one stays white and the other two get blacked out (you can't have two identical white cells).
- Boxed-in pairs: when two identical cells sit next to each other, you can't black out both (they'd be adjacent), so one stays white and forces you to black out the rest of its repeats.
- Surround the blacked-out cells: since two black cells can't touch, every blacked-out cell forces its orthogonal neighbors to stay white.
- Watch the connection: don't black out cells in a way that isolates a white cell; the white region must stay a single connected piece.
How it differs from Sudoku
Compared to classic Sudoku, in Hitori you don't write numbers: you eliminate them. It's a different, refreshing approach for logic lovers. If you enjoy elimination-and-deduction puzzles, you'll also like Binairo and Futoshiki.
🏆 Time ranking
Hitori has its own global ranking: your best time solving the board is saved. Go to Ranking, the 🕹️ 1 Player tab, choose "Hitori" from the dropdown, and compare your score with other players, synced to your account. For your result to count you need a free account on MundoSudoku (just a username and password, no email required): you can play without one, but without logging in your score won't be saved to the ranking.
