TappyPotato logic puzzles

Pencil logic

Masyu — rules and where to play

MASYU · Pearl / Shinju

One closed loop must pass through every black and white pearl. White means go straight through; black means turn here. Two rules, and the difficulty still goes to eleven.

Origin
2000 · Japan
Difficulty
★★★★★ 3–5 / 5
Time
10–45 min
Grid
6×6 – 20×20
Sites
10

Rules

  1. Draw a single closed loop passing through every pearl cell.
  2. White pearl: the loop goes straight through and does not turn in that cell.
  3. Black pearl: the loop must turn in that cell, and run straight for one cell on both sides.
  4. The loop never crosses or branches.

How to start

Fix edge pearls first

A white pearl on the border forces the loop to run along it; a black one on the border is forced to turn inward.

Extend two cells from every black pearl

A black pearl turns, so two of its neighbours are used and the path continues one more cell beyond each.

Treat white pearls as "no turn" signs

Cross out both turns at a white pearl and a corridor often opens in one stroke.

Where players get stuck

  • Reading white as "must be straight" — the rule is only "no turn in this cell"; the entry and exit directions may differ.
  • Forgetting the loop must close, and ending with two loose ends.

Play Masyu

10 sites
Puzzle PicnicFree

Handmade Nikoli-style grids from a mix of setters, picked rather than dumped, playable in the page.

Open → PuzzleMixFreemium

Gareth Moore's site: Sudoku, then Slitherlink, Nurikabe, Futoshiki, Calcudoku and Hanjie.

Open → pzv.jpFree

A wider puzz.link-style database — more types, cut a bit finer.

Open → Penpa+Free

A fat editor for Japanese types: lots of shapes and marks, and it will ingest a puzz.link.

Open → pzplusFree

A community bank with difficulty and clear counts, browsable without leaving the page.

Open → Naoki InabaFree

Naoki Inaba writes a lot, including types you won't see many other places.

Open → Puzzle Square JPFree

A large Japanese variant archive that moves often, with difficulty marks on the grids.

Open → Grandmaster PuzzlesFree

Thomas Snyder's own handmade Sudoku and variants — world-champion difficulty, not generated filler.

Open → Puzzle-MasyuFree

A Masyu specialty — short rules, same click habits as the rest of the Puzzle Team family.

Open → GridPuzzleFree

Dozens of grid logic types in the browser, with progress tracking and dailies.

Open →

Browse All-in-one portals →

Also on multi-type portals

Janko.atFree

Otto Janko's German/English archive: hundreds of playable types, all free.

Open → Puzzle RulesFree

Clean rule pages for dozens of types. Fastest way to learn a grid you haven't seen.

Open → NoqxFree

An ASP solver for 170-plus types. Connectivity puzzles tend to come back quickly.

Open → Nikoli Puzzle SolverFree

Z3 under the hood, 100-plus types, including hex and triangle boards.

Open →

Browse 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 Masyu 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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