How to solve Masyu
Start with pearls near the edges, where they have the least room. Black pearls send out two straight legs; white pearls run straight and turn beside them.
How it works
Masyu gives you a grid with some pearls. Draw one loop through the centers of the squares. It passes through every pearl, and never crosses or branches.
A black pearl is a corner: the loop turns on it, and each of its two legs runs straight through the next square. A white pearl is a straight: the loop goes straight through it and turns right before or right after it.
A black pearl needs two free squares in a line for each leg. Near an edge it often has only one way to turn. That is where every Masyu starts.
Where to look first
Black pearls near an edge or a corner. Then white pearls on an edge: the loop can’t go straight into the wall, so it runs along it.
After that, follow the ends of your lines. A square with one line needs exactly one more.
Only one loop
Never join two ends of the same line while other pearls are still off it. The finished puzzle is a single loop through every pearl.
Worth memorizing
Black pearl: turn, then two straight squares each way.
White pearl: straight through, and a turn right beside it.
Start at the edges.
A pearl with no room on one side has only one way to go.
Practice
0 of 4 rightWhich ways does the loop leave the black pearl in the corner?
Which ways does the loop leave the black pearl on the bottom row?
Which ways does the loop leave the white pearl on the top row?
A black pearl sits one square from the left edge. Can one of its legs point left?