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How to solve hard Binairo puzzles

10×10 and 12×12 boards aren't harder rules — they're longer chains. Here's how to keep your place.

By Luke Welch · Updated 16 September 2026 · 7 min read

Work the emptiest lines last

Sweep every row and column for bookends and gap fills first; they cost nothing. Only then look at counts.

Pip: Four rows of an 8×8. Two bookend moves are waiting in rows 2 and 4 before anything harder is needed.
Read-only example · 1 of 2

Count pressure on long lines

On a 12×12 each line needs six of each. When five owls are placed and four empties remain, ask which empties could still be an owl without making three in a row — often only one can.

Use notes for two-way cells

Long-press (or press N) to mark a cell you're reasoning about. Try one animal, follow the forced moves in your head, and see whether any cell ends up the same either way — that's chain reasoning, and it's the last tool you'll need.

Pip: The first cell can't be an owl — bookends forbid it. So it's a fox, and then count the foxes: two placed, one to go. Finish the row.
Interactive example · 2 of 2 · tap the empty cells

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