How to Play Japanese Puzzle Bridges
Bridges is a Japanese logic game also known as Hashiokakero or Hashi. A game board consists of cells with circles, called islands, at the cross of the usually invisible cell intersections. Each circle contains a number. You win by drawing the number of lines specified from each island. The puzzles range in size and difficulty. Each puzzle has only one solution.
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Instructions
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Solving Bridges
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1
Each island has a number, one through eight. Lines can only be drawn horizontally and vertically from one island to another. Islands can be connected by only one or two lines, also called bridges. These bridges can never cross. All islands must be interconnected.
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2
Start the puzzle by browsing for islands that only have one solution. An island with the number eight must have four possible islands to connect to with two lines drawn between each. An island with the number one that only has one island in a vertical or horizontal direction will have one bridge drawn between the two. Check for these possibilities on the edges and corners also, such as a six on an edge or a four in a corner.
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Look for islands that must have at least one line connecting to surrounding islands, such as a three in the corner. At least one bridge must be drawn to the two connecting islands. Be sure to go back and determine which connecting island needs a second bridge later.
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4
Fill in the remaining bridges, starting with the ones that have no other solution. Be sure not to cross lines or isolate a section of islands. Looking for places where a line cannot cross or a section that would get isolated are also good islands to focus on first. When all the islands are connected to the others using the correct number of bridges, the puzzle is solved.
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