Sikaku
Sikaku or Shikaku ( Japanese 四角 に 切 れ shikaku ni kire ) is a puzzle published by the Japanese publisher Nikoli . It is also known as number areas, number area or divide by box .
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Sikaku is played on a rectangular grid of any size. Some squares contain numbers.
The aim of the game is to divide the grid into rectangles so that the following rules are met:
- Each rectangle contains exactly one number.
- The number indicates how many squares are in the rectangle.
- Two rectangles cannot overlap.
Usually the solution is clearly determined by the given numbers.
Solution strategy
To solve a Sikaku, one typically first tries to find individual small rectangles, which then gradually add up to the solution sought.
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For each number there are usually only a few possibilities to form a rectangle. Since each number has to be in its own rectangle, sometimes all but one can be excluded. So there are often only a few options for very large numbers, since usually no row of the corresponding length can be wrapped around them. |
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Sometimes individual fields of the grid can only be reached from a single number. In the example on the left, for example, the square at the bottom right can only be reached by the number three directly above it. |
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The rectangle is already defined around a field with the number one and runs around this number. This is also the reason why most sikakus do not contain fields with the number one. Odd numbers give special clues. Prime numbers can only make a box in one row or column, odd numbers need an odd number of columns and rows. |
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Logical considerations can be used to find many other solution strategies that ultimately lead to the solution you are looking for. |
Web links
Commons : Sikaku - collection of images, videos and audio files
