KenKen (Boston Globe)
The Boston Globe's daily KenKen in 4x4 and 6x6, harder as the week goes on.
Every day: Two new KenKen grids each day, a 4x4 and a 6x6, the same for every player, getting harder as the week goes on. New puzzle: Midnight Eastern Time.
The Boston Globe posts two KenKen puzzles every day, a 4x4 and a 6x6, on its games page. You fill each grid with digits so no row or column repeats and every outlined cage reaches its target by the arithmetic shown, and the puzzles get harder from Monday through the week.
About KenKen (Boston Globe)
KenKen is an arithmetic grid puzzle, and the Boston Globe carries it as one of its daily games next to its Crossword, Mini Crossword, Align, Sudoku and Word Flower. The Globe pitches it to sudoku players who want an extra challenge.
Each day there are two grids, a 4x4 and a 6x6. Like sudoku, every row and column holds each digit once, but there are no given numbers: the grid is split into outlined cages, each with a target and an operation, and the digits in a cage must reach that target by adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing. The Globe makes the puzzles harder as the week goes on, so an early-week 4x4 is a short warm-up and a late-week 6x6 takes real deduction.
New puzzles go up at midnight Eastern. You can solve alone, team up with friends, or print the grid and solve on paper, and the archive holds every puzzle from the past two weeks. It suits sudoku players who like some arithmetic and anyone who wants a daily number puzzle with a short and a longer option.
How to play KenKen (Boston Globe)
- Open KenKen on the Boston Globe's games page and choose the 4x4 or the 6x6.
- Fill each row and each column with the digits 1 to 4 (or 1 to 6) with no repeats.
- Make the digits in each outlined cage reach the cage's target with its operation.
- Start with single-square cages, which simply give you a digit.
- Finish the grid, then come back the next day for two new puzzles.
Tips
- A cage with a large product or sum has few possible digit sets; list them before you write anything.
- Subtraction and division cages are always two squares, so they narrow down quickly.
- Use the row and column rule as much as the arithmetic: a digit placed in one cage rules it out of the whole line.
Questions
What sizes does the Boston Globe KenKen come in?
Two each day: a 4x4 and a 6x6.
Do the puzzles get harder?
Yes. The Globe says difficulty rises as the week progresses.
Can I play older KenKen puzzles?
The archive has every puzzle from the past two weeks.
Can I print it?
Yes, the Globe lets you print the puzzle to solve on paper.
Games like KenKen (Boston Globe)
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The Times Killer Sudoku
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