Number & arithmetic
KenKen — rules and where to play
KENKEN · Calcudoku / Mathdoku / Kendoku / Square Wisdom
A Latin square with bold cages that must produce a target using + − × ÷. It uses all four operations, which is why math teachers love it.
- Origin
- 2004 · Japan
- Difficulty
- ★★★★★ 1–5 / 5
- Time
- 5–45 min
- Grid
- 3×3 – 9×9
- Sites
- 5
Rules
- In an n×n grid, each row and column contains 1–n exactly once.
- Each bold cage carries a target and an operator; the digits inside must produce that target.
- A single-cell cage simply equals its target. Subtraction and division cages take the larger minus or divided by the smaller.
- Digits may repeat inside a cage as long as rows and columns allow it.
How to start
Fill every single-cell cage first
One cell, one cage: the answer is printed.
Multiply and divide cages have very few factorisations
Three cells multiplying to 8 can only be 1×2×4.
Close with row and column elimination
Arithmetic supplies candidates; the Latin square settles them.
Where players get stuck
- Assuming no repeats inside cages — only the row and column limits apply.
- Doing subtraction or division in a fixed order instead of largest-over-smallest.
Play KenKen
5 sites
KenKen PuzzleFree
The official site. Unlimited free grids, a classroom kit, and the apps.
Open → Calcudoku.orgFreeDaily Calcudoku and KenKen, with a solver and a technique shelf on the same site.
Open → Glorified CalculatorFreeFree KenKen and Calcudoku with checked unique solutions, and they tell you how the grades work.
Open → GridPuzzleFreeDozens of grid logic types in the browser, with progress tracking and dailies.
Open → kenken.ggFreeLightweight KenKen in the browser — quick cages, no install.
Open →Also on multi-type portals
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About this page
- Last updated 2026-09-22
- Source Curated compilation of established puzzle rules and listed third-party play sites
- Audience Players learning KenKen rules or looking for online sites to play
- Covers Rules summary, how to start, common pitfalls, and the dedicated play sites listed on this page
- Does not cover Hosted puzzles, worked solutions, official contest rankings, third-party uptime or pricing guarantees
- Not advice This page is puzzle reference content only. It does not constitute financial, legal, medical or other professional advice.
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