Gokigen Naname

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Working memory test

Gokigen Naname puzzle

Unusual, and at the same time simple rules are demonstrated by the Japanese puzzle Gokigen Naname - the player must draw diagonal lines between the numbers located at the junctions of the cells, and not fill or mark the cells on the grid field.

Due to the fact that the lines are not drawn straight, but at an angle of 45 degrees, this game is also called Slant. Another name is Slalom, by analogy with the zigzag movement of a skier along a mountain slope.

One way or another, Gokigen Naname has gained popularity not only in Japan, but also in many other countries. Its unique rules and addictive gameplay have attracted many fans around the world, which has led to the creation of various versions and variations of this puzzle.

Game history

Logic puzzles presented in the form of grid playing fields are the calling card of the Nikoli company. It was in this Japanese magazine that the first Sudoku and Kakuro were published, and even crossword puzzles (in Japanese クロスワードパズル) gained worldwide fame not without the participation of Nikoli, although the authorship belongs to the American Arthur Wynne.

Puzzle Communication Nikoli magazine has never positioned itself as a publication with a purely Japanese focus; it could well be considered international from the very moment it opened in 1980.

In the 80s and 90s, the magazine published both Asian and Western puzzles, including games from unknown authors who sent letters to the publisher. The authorship of the game Gokigen Naname is also unknown. In Japan it is called ごきげんななめ, which translates to “being in a bad mood.” The puzzle also has an abbreviated name - Gokigen.

Like other Japanese puzzle games, Gokigen Naname quickly gained a digital version in the 2000s, and today is distributed primarily online rather than in print.

Over the past 20 years, many digital versions have been published: from the simplest - black and white, to colorful and three-dimensional. This did not affect the basic rules of the game in any way - they remain unchanged in all its variations.

Despite the simplicity of the rules, winning Gokigen Naname is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. You will see this for yourself after the first games.

Try to play Gokigen Naname once, and you will never leave this game! We believe you will succeed!

How to solve Gokigen Naname puzzle

Gokigen Naname (Slant) is played on a rectangular, usually square field, divided into square cells of the same size. At the intersection of four cells there may be circles with numbers - from one to four.

The number indicates how many lines come out of this circle. These lines can only be drawn diagonally - at an angle of 45 degrees.

Thus, the maximum number of lines for each circle is four. There may also be circles with zeros at the field boundaries, from which you do not need to draw lines.

Game rules

For the game Gokigen Naname there are no strict restrictions on the size of the playing field. As a rule, the simplest puzzles have fields of 5x5, and the most difficult ones rarely go beyond 20x20. In this way, one of the important features of Nikoli games is observed - ranking by difficulty depending on the size of the fields.

In order to win Gokigen Naname, you must simultaneously follow three fundamental rules:

Only one line can be drawn in one cell. Crossing lines are prohibited.
The number inside the circle must correspond to the number of lines coming out of it.
The drawn lines should not form closed contours.

In many Nikoli puzzles, a prerequisite is the creation of a single network of marked or empty cells. In Gokigen Naname, on the contrary, shorting lines is prohibited, and there is no need to create a single network.

How to solve the puzzle

The smaller the playing field, the easier it is to win in Gokigen Naname. Even a beginner can handle a 5x5 puzzle, but 10x10 (and larger fields) will require some serious mental work.

The main principle in this game is deduction, that is, the elimination of obviously incorrect moves. Therefore, you should always start with circles with the number 4 inside. There are no alternative moves for them, and when you see a four, you can immediately draw diagonal lines from it in all four directions.

The following tips will also be useful for novice players:

A line is always drawn from a unit located in the corner of the field towards its center.
If there is a zero on the border, the lines on the two cells adjacent to it should create a corner with the vertex directed in the direction opposite to the zero.
A deuce located on the border of the field leaves no other options except to draw two lines from it in the adjacent two cells.

Lines coming out of circles do not have to go into other circles. Much more often they form corners, U-shaped loops, rest against the boundaries of the field or into the void. The main thing is not to break the third game rule and not to close them completely.

Moving from the edges to the center and starting with large numbers (threes and fours), you can successfully solve the puzzle even without any experience in the game.