Hawfold
Plant hedges round numbered fields until they form one closed loop.
Every day: One loop logic puzzle a day, drawn as an English parish map and the same for everyone: plant hedges so each numbered field has the right count and the hedges form a single loop. New puzzle: Midnight, local time.
Hawfold is a daily loop puzzle drawn as an English parish. Each numbered field says how many of its four sides carry a hedge, and when every count is right the hedges form one loop with no branches or loose ends. It is free, has no ads, and a built-in teacher explains why each next step is forced.
About Hawfold
Hawfold takes the loop puzzle made popular by the Japanese publisher Nikoli, often called Slitherlink, and draws it as a map of an English parish. The grid is a patchwork of fields, and some fields carry a number saying how many of their four sides are hedged. Fields without a number can have any number of hedges. You plant hedges along the boundaries until every number is satisfied, and the result is a single closed loop that never branches, never crosses itself and has no loose ends.
Each puzzle has exactly one solution and never needs guessing. Every parish is made by drawing the loop first and reading the numbers off it, and each carries the seed and program version it was made from, so anyone can recreate it and check.
The tools follow how strong solvers think. You can mark a boundary as hedge or open, and shade fields as inside or outside the loop, since fields either side of a hedge are on opposite sides and fields either side of an open boundary are on the same side. If you get stuck, Show me the next step finds something that must be true, explains why and only then draws it, as often as you like. There are full keyboard controls, optional soundscapes made from field recordings, and an archive of every parish so far.
Hawfold is free, has no advertising and needs no account. It suits players who like pure logic grids and want a calm daily puzzle with help on hand.
How to play Hawfold
- Open hawfold.com to see today's parish.
- Read the numbered fields: each number is how many of that field's four sides are hedged.
- Click a boundary to plant a hedge; click again to mark it open, and a third time to clear it.
- Shade fields as inside or outside the loop to keep track of which side each one is on.
- Keep going until every number is satisfied and the hedges form one closed loop.
- Press Show me the next step whenever you are stuck.
Tips
- Start with the 0s: none of their sides can be hedged, so mark them all open.
- Two 3s side by side force the hedges along their shared edge and the far sides.
- At any corner the loop passes through, exactly two hedges meet; never one and never three.
- Use inside and outside shading; it settles many boundaries that counting alone cannot.
Questions
Is Hawfold free?
Yes. It is free, carries no advertising and needs no account.
What kind of puzzle is it?
A loop puzzle of the type made popular by Nikoli, often called Slitherlink, drawn as a parish map with hedges.
Do I ever need to guess?
No. Every parish has exactly one solution that can be reached by logic alone.
Can I get help?
Yes. Show me the next step explains one forced deduction at a time and can be used as often as you like.
Can I play earlier parishes?
Yes, from the archive of every parish so far.
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