YAOKU

YAOKU — number and logic puzzles

FREE PLAY

PREPARING YOUR PUZZLE
00:00

Generating your puzzle…

Preparing the starting clues and Loose Cards.

Loose Cards

— left
Given Product badge0 / 24 connected

Select a white cell, then choose a card.

A fresh puzzle using the same sum and product rules.
About YAOKU & your saved game

Fill the white cells with digits 1–9. Each digit must fit its crossing sum clues, neighboring product badges, and the available Loose Cards.

All three ways to play are free: choose one of 1,000 numbered Collection puzzles, generate a fresh board with Random Free Play, or try the Daily selection. Difficulty labels are estimates.

Daily selects a fixed Collection puzzle for the calendar date in America/Chicago and shows that date above the board. The same date gives the same selection. Daily and its numbered puzzle share saved progress; sharing sends the exact numbered puzzle, regardless of the recipient’s date. A new selection is available automatically each day; a puzzle already in progress will not reset at midnight.

Entries, notes, and progress stay in this browser on this device; they do not automatically sync across devices. No player account is needed. YAOKU is for ages 13 and older.

Rules & examples · All 1,000 puzzles

GETTING STARTED

How to play

Fill the white cells with digits 1–9 so every sum and product clue works, using each Loose Card copy once. Start with a short group or a clue with only one missing number.

  1. Choose an empty white cell, then a Loose Card.

    Tap a white cell and tap the digit you want to place, or type 1–9 on a keyboard. Gray cells hold clues or separate groups. Bold numbers marked with a dot are fixed givens; they do not use cards.

    The card bank is shuffled, so its order is not a hint. Two cards showing 5 let you place two 5s in different groups, but not in the same sum group. Erase returns a placed card; Undo reverses your last move.

  2. Follow an arrow to add.

    Follow a right or down arrow through its white cells, stopping at the next gray cell or the board edge. Their digits must add to the clue without repeating inside that group. A cell may belong to both an across group and a down group, and must fit both.

    If a three-cell group totals 12 and already contains 3 and 4, its last digit is 5: 12 − 3 − 4 = 5. Check the crossing group and available cards before placing it. Digits may repeat in separate groups; there are no Sudoku boxes.

  3. Read a badge to multiply.

    A small square badge connects just two white neighbors, left/right or above/below. The digit above-left is the tens and the digit below-right is the ones. A badge showing 30 means those neighbors multiply to 30, so they are 5 and 6.

    Use crossing sums to decide which cell gets which digit. A badge showing 06 means six, with possible pairs 1 and 6 or 2 and 3. Zero can appear in a badge, never in a white cell. Keep checking connected clues until the board is filled and every card is used.

Tools, keyboard controls & saving

Notes track possible digits without using cards. Use them on empty cells: choosing a note on a filled cell removes its entry. Turn Notes off before placing a final digit.

Check marks entries that differ from the unique solution, even if they fit nearby clues. Hint fills a selected empty or incorrect cell, or another eligible cell. It uses a card copy and may be blocked if all copies are in use. Hint-assisted games do not count toward best times.

Type 1–9 to enter a digit, use arrow keys to move, Backspace or Delete to erase, N for Notes, and Ctrl/⌘ Z to undo. Pause takes a break; “Start this puzzle over” clears entries and the timer but keeps the puzzle.

Collection, Daily, and Random Free Play are all free. Daily uses a Collection puzzle selected by the America/Chicago date and shares its saved progress. Difficulty ratings are estimates. Entries, notes, and progress stay in this browser on this device, without automatic cross-device sync.

More examples and the full guide →

SAVED IN THIS BROWSER

YOUR PROGRESS

Saved only in this browser on this device; not automatically synchronized. Best times exclude games using hints. Published totals reflect the collection loaded here.

SHARE A PUZZLE

Share this puzzle

Recipients will start the same puzzle from the beginning, with the same givens—your entries and notes won’t be shared.

Preparing your puzzle link…

Start a new puzzle?

Your current puzzle will be replaced.

PUZZLE COMPLETE

Puzzle complete

Global Daily leaderboard