Heyawake – Medium

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Heyawake (from Japanese, "divided rooms") is a logic puzzle played on a rectangular grid divided into distinct "rooms." Some rooms contain a number, indicating exactly how many cells within that room must be shaded black. Other rooms may contain zero or more black cells.

Basic Rules

• Black cells must not be orthogonally connected.
• All white cells must be interconnected (no isolated groups).
• A line of connected white cells must not pass through more than two rooms consecutively.

Additional Rules

• A room without a number can contain any number of black cells, including zero.
• The entire puzzle must be solved in a way that all conditions are met.

Basic Solving Tips

• Start with numbered rooms: If a room has a number, those cells must be shaded, which helps limit possibilities elsewhere.
• Avoid clusters of black cells: Since black cells can’t be orthogonally adjacent, placing one often limits where another can go.
• Check white cell connectivity: If an area would be cut off by shading, you must adjust accordingly.
• Look at room boundaries: If a white path would pass through too many rooms, you may need to block it with black cells.