A grid. Some arrows. One unbroken loop.
Sounds simple, isn't it? That's Yajilin for you.
And today we will be talking about how you can solve your first. We will only delve into the basic rules and instructions.
🙋 But Tushar, what the heck is Yajilin?
It's a grid-based puzzle where the objective is to figure out the shaded cells and find a way to cover all the remaining cells.
🤔 Uhmm, well, that was a bit confusing, can you simplify it?
Of course. Imagine a beautiful park in the town of Puzzverse. You are hired for maintenance - as part of your job you have to water all the plants every day, and figure out where all the kittens are hiding in the park.
🖋️ Okay. But how does that connect back to Yajilin?
Haha, it does. Now cut that whole park into a grid. Each cell is a possibility - either a plant, a kitten, or a signboard.
🪧 Wait, what's a signboard?
A signboard is basically a clue about some kittens nearby. The maintenance team has been observing the park for a long time, and whenever they spot a kitten's territory, they plant a sign. The sign tells you: "Hey, there are this many kittens in this direction."
But here's the thing - not every kitten has a signboard pointing to it. Some of them are just there, undiscovered, no hint given. Part of your job is figuring those out too.
😼 Mhm, interesting. But are there any rules about where the kittens can be?
Oh definitely. After observing them for a long time, the team figured out two things about kittens:
1. They never share a border. If you spot a kitten in one cell, the four cells directly around it - above, below, left, right - are safe. No kitten there. They like their personal space.
2. They never break your path. As much as they'd love to cause chaos, the kittens have learned to live in harmony with the maintenance crew. They will never sit somewhere that forces your walking route to a dead end or split apart.
💡 This second rule takes a few puzzles to feel natural - don't stress if it isn't clicking yet. It will.
🚶 Okay wait, what walking route? You said I'm watering plants, but what does that actually mean?
Right, here's the fun part. Once you've figured out where the kittens are - or at least where they can't be - you need to water the plants. And here's the catch: you can't just hop around randomly. You have to walk a single, unbroken, closed path. Think of it like this - you enter the park, walk through every single plant cell, and end up exactly where you started. No shortcuts, no dead ends, no skipping a section. One continuous loop. That's the goal.
🚶 Oh, so it's like.. a route?
Exactly like a route. The kittens are never on your route - they just sit in their zones, and you walk around them. Your job is to figure out all the kittens, then connect all the plants in one clean loop.
😟 That sounds hard. How do I even begin?
Here's the tip that'll actually save you: before you find where the kittens are, mark where they cannot be. The moment you place a kitten, the four cells around it are safe. Also, if placing a kitten somewhere would force your walking path to a dead end or split into two separate loops, that cell can't be a kitten either. Start with elimination, and the puzzle starts opening up on its own.
😀 Great, that's actually really helpful. Where do I start?
Head over to the Puzzles and then the Yajilin tab, and start with the "Learning Yajilin" section. Those are built specifically for beginners - no pressure, just you, the park, and a few kittens to find.
😄 Thanks Tushar! I'm definitely going to go find some kittens now, haha.
Please do. And remember - the park is beautiful. The kittens are sneaky. And the loop always closes, even when it feels like it won't.
Come over, the park is waiting for you. 🌿