How to Play Yin Yang Puzzle
Game Overview
Yin Yang is a classic logic puzzle that embodies the ancient Chinese philosophy of balance and harmony between opposing forces. Your goal is to fill every cell of the grid with either a black or white stone while following three simple but challenging rules. This elegant puzzle tests your logical reasoning and spatial awareness skills, making it perfect for puzzle enthusiasts of all levels who enjoy brain teasers that require deep thinking and careful planning.
The Three Core Rules
Rule 1: Black Connectivity
All black cells must form a single connected group. Cells connect orthogonally only, meaning up, down, left, and right. Diagonal connections do not count toward connectivity. Every black stone must be reachable from every other black stone through a chain of adjacent black stones.
Rule 2: White Connectivity
All white cells must also form a single connected group using the same orthogonal adjacency rules. Like black cells, they connect only through edges, not corners. This ensures both colors maintain their unity throughout the grid.
Rule 3: No 2×2 Squares
No 2×2 area anywhere on the board can contain cells of the same color. This prevents large uniform blocks and ensures an intricate, balanced pattern emerges as you solve the puzzle.
How to Play
- Click once on an empty cell to place a black stone
- Click again to change it to a white stone
- Click a third time to clear the cell back to empty
- Some cells are pre-filled and cannot be changed. These are your starting clues that guide you toward the solution
- Use the Check button to verify if your current solution is correct
- Use Hint if you are stuck. It will fill in one correct cell for you
- Use Undo to reverse your last move if you made a mistake
- Use arrow keys or WASD to move the selection, then press Space to cycle a cell
- Press R to restart the current puzzle, N for a new puzzle, and Enter to check your solution
Strategy Tips
- Start from constraints: Look for areas where the 2×2 rule forces a specific color choice
- Trace connections: Ensure you are not creating isolated groups of the same color that cannot connect
- Work from edges: Corner and edge cells have fewer neighbors, making them easier to solve first
- Use process of elimination: If placing one color violates a rule, the other color must go there
- Check connectivity often: The most common mistake is accidentally splitting a color group into separate islands
Difficulty Levels
The puzzle comes in different grid sizes to match your skill level. The 6×6 grid is perfect for beginners learning the rules and developing basic strategies. The 7×7 grid offers a moderate challenge with more complex connectivity paths to track. The 8×8 grid provides the ultimate test for experienced players who want to push their logical reasoning to the limit. Larger grids require tracking more connections and avoiding more potential 2×2 violations simultaneously.
The Philosophy Behind the Game
Just like the Yin Yang symbol represents the balance of opposing forces in Chinese philosophy, this puzzle requires you to balance black and white in perfect harmony. Neither color can dominate through large blocks, and both must maintain their unity through connectivity. The interplay of these three rules creates a beautiful metaphor for balance in life, where seeming opposites must coexist and complement each other.