How to play Number Chain

The goal

Playing

• Tap a number to grow the chain from it. The empty squares around it light up, showing the number that would go there.
• Tap a lit square to place that number. The selection moves on with it, so you can keep tapping to lay a run.
• Or drag from a number through the squares: each one you cross gets the next number. Drag back to take the last one off.
• Dark numbers were given at the start and can’t be changed. When the chain reaches one, it carries on from it.

The chain

• A line joins each pair of consecutive numbers that touch, so you can see which stretches are done.
• A number turns red when the number just before or after it is on the board but not touching it.
• Up and Down choose whether you place the next number or the one before, handy for working back from a given number.

Tools

• Erase removes the selected number and steps back to the one before it, so pressing it again unwinds the chain.
• Clear removes all your numbers. Undo takes back your last move.

Difficulty

• Easy: a 5×5 grid, 1 to 25, with plenty of numbers given.
• Normal: a 7×7 grid, 1 to 49.
• Hard: a 9×9 grid, 1 to 81, with fewer numbers given.
• Every puzzle is new and has exactly one solution. Your best times are kept for each difficulty.

Keyboard

• Arrow keys move, Space or Enter taps a square, + and − pick up or down, Backspace erases, and Ctrl or ⌘+Z undoes.

Questions

Strategy guides