How to Play Futoshiki: Rules, Strategy & Free Puzzles

Futoshiki is a Latin-square puzzle on an N×N grid. You fill each row and each column with the digits 1 to N, using every digit exactly once, just like Sudoku without boxes. Between some cells sit greater-than (>) and less-than (<) signs, and your solution must satisfy every one of them.

• Skill: Constraint logic & deduction
• ·
• Difficulty: Intermediate

How to play Futoshiki

1. Fill 1 to N. Each row and each column must contain every digit from 1 to N exactly once.
2. Respect the signs. An inequality between two cells must hold true — the value on the open side of > is larger.
3. Use the given digits. Any pre-filled numbers are fixed anchors that cannot change.
4. One solution. A well-formed Futoshiki has a single unique answer reached by pure logic.

Futoshiki strategy & tips

• The ends of a chain of inequalities are often forced — a run like a<b<c near the top limit pins their values fast.
• A cell on the greater side of a > can never be the smallest digit; on the lesser side it can never be the largest.
• Fall back on plain Latin-square logic: if a digit fits only one cell in a line, place it.

Futoshiki FAQ

Related puzzles

Reference: Futoshiki on Wikipedia