Pearl Loop Puzzle
Pearl Loop Puzzle asks you to draw one ring through a grid of squares, guided only by black and white pearls. It is the Pearl puzzle from Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection, with contributions from James Harvey.
The page runs in any modern browser, so a Chromebook, laptop or phone is all you need. There is no timer, which leaves you free to think each pearl through.
How to play Pearl Loop Puzzle
Your loop runs from the middle of one square to the middle of a neighbor beside it. It can never cross itself, split into branches, or leave a loose end. Empty squares are optional, so the ring can skip them.
Black pearls are corners. The loop must turn on them, and it must travel straight through the square just before and just after that turn. White pearls are the opposite: the loop goes straight across, then bends in at least one of the two neighboring squares.
Click an edge or drag through squares to draw, and right-click an edge to mark it with a cross when you know the loop avoids it. The Type menu lists grid sizes from 6x6 to 12x8 at Easy or Tricky. Once every pearl is happy and the ring is closed, the board flashes.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draw or erase a segment | Enter to start and end a drag, arrows to move | Left-click an edge or left-drag | Tap an edge or drag |
| Cross out an edge | Shift + arrow | Right-click the edge | Press and hold the edge |
| Toggle the edge beside the cursor | Ctrl + Shift + arrow | — | — |
| New puzzle, undo, redo | N, U, R | Buttons in the menu bar | Buttons in the menu bar |
Tips
- A black pearl touching the border cannot reach toward it, so its arm must stretch two squares inward. Draw those arms right away.
- When three white pearls line up in a row, the loop passes through all of them at right angles to that row.
- Two black pearls sitting next to each other always send their arms in opposite directions, away from their shared side.
- Crosses are worth the extra click. Every ruled-out edge narrows the choices for the squares around it.
- Be suspicious of any small ring that closes early. Unless it already covers every pearl, it has to be broken open.
If you like Pearl Loop Puzzle, try these
Loopy Loop PuzzleClues move from pearls to numbered cells here, each telling you how many of its four sides the single loop must trace.
Untangle LinesLines are the theme of this looser puzzle too, where you drag dots around until no connecting line crosses another.
Questions
How do you win Pearl Loop Puzzle?
Finish one closed loop that obeys every pearl: a turn on each black, a straight run through each white. When the last segment completes the ring correctly, the grid flashes.
Can I see the answer if I get stuck?
Yes. The Solve button in the menu bar fills in the full loop. You can then use Undo to go back and keep working on your own.
Does it work on a touchscreen?
It does. Taps and drags draw segments, and pressing and holding an edge acts like a right-click so you can place crosses.
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