🎮

Tapa

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Tapa Game Guide

📖 About

Tapa is a shading puzzle where you create a single continuous wall of black cells. Number clues in cells show the lengths of consecutive black cell runs in the 8 surrounding cells. Multiple numbers mean separate runs with at least one white cell between. No 2×2 area can be all black!

🎯 Objectives

Shade cells to form a single connected wall that satisfies all clue numbers and contains no 2×2 all-black areas.

🎮 How to Play

Click cells to shade them black. All black cells must be connected. Clue numbers show lengths of consecutive black runs around that cell. No 2×2 area can be all black.

⌨️ Controls

Click a cell to toggle between shaded (black) and unshaded (white). Right-click or long-press to mark cells as definitely white.

⚙️ Game Mechanics

  • All shaded cells must form one connected wall
  • Clue numbers show lengths of consecutive shaded runs in the 8 neighbors
  • Multiple numbers mean separate runs with gaps between
  • A '0' clue means no shaded neighbors
  • No 2×2 area can be completely shaded

Features

  • Multiple grid sizes
  • Auto-check for wall connectivity
  • Highlight disconnected sections
  • Undo/redo functionality

💡 Tips

  • All black cells must connect to form a single wall
  • No 2x2 area can be completely black
  • Multiple numbers mean separate runs with gaps
  • 0 clues mean all surrounding cells are white

Frequently Asked Questions

What do multiple numbers in a clue mean?
If a cell shows '1 2', it means there are two separate black runs around it: one of length 1 and another of length 2, with at least one white cell between them.
Can the wall have branches or holes?
The wall must be a single connected group (branches are OK), but it cannot have isolated sections. All black cells must reach each other through adjacent black cells.
What about the 2×2 rule?
No 2×2 square anywhere in the grid can be completely filled with black cells. This is a key constraint that often helps solve puzzles.
How do I use '0' clues?
A '0' clue is very powerful - it means all 8 surrounding cells must be white. Use these to establish safe cells early.

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