How to solve Edel puzzles
Rules
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You are given a grid of squares. The aim is to create a picture by filling in the squares in black and white.
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Each row and column has a set of number clues. These indicate the number and size of the black blocks in that row or column, which are separated by any number of white squares.
For example, if the clue for a row is "2 1" then that row has, from left to right, zero or more white squares, followed by two black squares, one or more white squares, one black square and then any number of white squares.
Example
To illustrate this, we will walk you through a simple puzzle, titled "Seahorse".
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We start with an empty 5x5 grid, with a clue for each row and each column.
It is often best to start by looking at the larger numbers. Look at the third column, with a clue of 4 - there must be one block of four black squares in this column, and there are two possibilities for where this might go.
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We do not know which of these is correct, but one of them must be, so we know that the three middle squares must be filled in.
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The same can be done for the second column.
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Now look at the third row, which has a clue of 2, meaning that the row contains just one block of two black squares.
We now have this, so the remaining squares must be white and the row is complete.
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On the fourth row, the block of two has been completed, so this must be surrounded by a white block on either side. This leaves only one possibility for the single black square, which is placed in the rightmost position.
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The fifth column has just one block of two black squares. Since one of these squares has already been placed, we can place the other, and fill the rest of the column with white squares.
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The block of three on the bottom row can now be completed, and the rest of the row filled in.
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The second and third columns can be finished off.
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The single block on the top row has been filled in, so the rest of the row can be filled with white squares.
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The first and fourth columns can easily be finished off now, which also completes the second row.
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The puzzle is now complete.
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Controls
Click on a square to colour it black.
Click again to colour it white
Click again to return the square to grey (meaning we do not know what colour it is)
To help keep track of things, you can click the numbers in the clue cells to cross them off as you work through the puzzle.
More information
The Wikipedia entry for Edel describes a lot of useful techniques for solving these puzzles.
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