Kakuro
How to Play Kakuro
Kakuro is a number crossword. Instead of words, you fill runs of white cells with the digits 1 to 9 so that each run adds up to a given sum — and no digit repeats inside a run.
It's all logic and simple addition: every daily board has exactly one solution you can reach without guessing.
The rules
- Fill every white cell with a digit from 1 to 9.
- Each clue is written on a shaded cell: the top-right number is the sum of the run to its right; the bottom-left number is the sum of the run going down.
- Every run must add up to exactly its clue.
- A digit can't repeat within a single run (though the same digit can appear in other runs).
Techniques
1. Unique sum combinations
Some length-and-sum pairs can be made only one way. A two-cell run summing to 3 must be 1 and 2; a two-cell run summing to 4 must be 1 and 3. Pencil those in first — they anchor everything else.
2. Highest and lowest sums
The extremes are the tightest. Two cells summing to 17 can only be 8 and 9; summing to 16, only 7 and 9. Three cells summing to 6 must be 1, 2 and 3. These leave you almost no choice.
3. Cross-reference the runs
Every white cell belongs to an across run and a down run. Only a digit allowed by both can go there. When one run says {1,3} and the crossing run says {3,4}, the shared cell must be 3.
4. Eliminate by the budget
If a run still needs, say, 5 across two cells, no cell in it can hold a digit that leaves the rest impossible — a 9 is out because there's no valid partner. Cross those digits off as you go.
5. Finish forced runs
When every cell of a run but one is filled, the last cell is simply the clue minus what's already there. Completing one run usually unlocks the runs that cross it.
Frequently asked
Do numbers repeat?
Never within the same run. The same digit can appear in other runs across the board — just not twice in one across or down entry.
Do I need to be good at math?
No. It's only addition with the digits 1 to 9. The challenge is logic, not arithmetic.
Is there always exactly one solution?
Yes. Every daily Kakuro on The Daily Almanac has a single solution reachable by pure deduction — no guessing required.
How big is the daily board?
Each daily is a compact 6×6 grid — small enough for a coffee break, tricky enough to make you think.