How to play Fences

The goal

The rules

• Fence runs between neighboring dots, straight across or straight down.
• It must make a single loop: no branches, no crossings, no loose ends, and no second loop.
• A number from 0 to 3 says exactly how many sides of its square are fence. Squares without a number can have any.

Drawing

• Tap between two dots to put fence there. Tap again for an ×, a note that fence can’t go there, and once more to clear it.
• Drag along the dots to draw several pieces at once. Start a drag on a piece of fence to rub out instead.
• Undo takes back your last change, a whole drag at a time.

Checking your work

• A number turns green when it has exactly its count, and red when it has too many, or too many ×s to reach it.
• A dot turns red where fence branches, or where a line ends with every way on crossed out. A loop closed too early, with fence left outside it, turns red too.
• Hint fixes a mistake if you have one, otherwise adds a piece that follows from what’s on the board.
• The puzzle is solved the moment your fence is one loop that meets every number.

Tips

• Start with the 0s: cross out all four of their sides.
• A 3 in a corner of the board uses both of its outside sides. Two 3s side by side share fence on the side between them and on both outer sides.
• Every dot has either no fence or exactly two pieces. A line that reaches a dot must leave it.
• Mark ×s freely: they make the next step easy to see.

Difficulty

• Easy: a 5×5 grid you can solve by counting. Normal: 7×7, sometimes needing a quick “what if”. Hard: 10×10 with fewer numbers.
• Every puzzle is new and has exactly one answer. Your best times are kept for each difficulty.

Keyboard

• Arrow keys move between dots. Shift+arrow draws fence that way and follows it (or rubs it out). X then an arrow marks an ×. H gives a hint, and Ctrl or ⌘+Z undoes.

Questions

Strategy guides