Number Path Solving Tips

Number Path is solved by counting: the distance between two given numbers tells you how much room the path has between them. New here? Read the rules first.

1. Bridge the givens

Take two givens, say 8 and 12. The path needs exactly three squares between them, and it can't wander: find the route of that length.

2. Corridors are forced

A square whose only empty neighbours are two in a line must be passed straight through. Edge and corner squares with one empty neighbour are dead ends: the path must enter and end there, which only 1 or n² can do, so some other number must still arrive from the single open side.

3. Count parity

Moving one square changes the colour of a checkerboard. A number k steps away must sit on a square of the matching colour; if the colours don't fit, that route is impossible.

4. Work both ends

Fill from a given upward and from the next given downward until they meet. Gaps shrink from both sides and the middle usually becomes forced.

5. Keep the rest reachable

A path that walls off an empty region can never return to fill it. Before committing, check that every empty square still has a way to be visited.

Last updated 2026-10-21