Lits (PuzzleMadness)

About Lits (PuzzleMadness)

Every LITS grid is divided into regions of four or more cells. In each region you shade one tetromino, a shape of four cells joined edge to edge. Three rules tie the regions together: all the shaded cells in the grid must form one continuous area, no 2x2 block may be completely shaded, and two tetrominoes of the same shape may not touch along an edge, counting rotated and mirrored versions as the same shape. Because of the 2x2 rule the square O shape never appears, which leaves the L, I, T and S that give the puzzle its name.

Regions of exactly four cells can be shaded straight away. Small regions of five or six cells allow only a couple of placements, and the cells shared by all of them can be filled; the site's rules page walks through an example from there. Today's Medium puzzle, for example, is an 8x8 grid.

PuzzleMadness is a free puzzle website run by Dewi, a software developer who started out making games for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii and DS and now builds the site as a hobby. It carries dozens of puzzle types, from classic sudoku to newer logic grids, and each one gets its own dated puzzle every day at each difficulty. LITS comes in Easy, Medium and Hard versions plus a Mixed page, and the same day's LITS puzzle is shared by everyone who opens it.

The site checks your grid as you go and tells you when it is finished; it does not publish solutions. Each completed puzzle earns a score, and scores feed a monthly and an all-time LITS leaderboard, where only your best attempt at a puzzle counts. Older days stay in the archive, so a missed puzzle can still be played later and still counts toward the current month. Playing needs no account; a free registration gives you a username on the leaderboards and a cloud save. The pages carry adverts.

How to play Lits (PuzzleMadness)

1. Open today's LITS page on PuzzleMadness and choose a difficulty from the menu above the grid.
2. Click cells to shade them, putting exactly four connected cells (one tetromino) in each outlined region.
3. Keep all the shaded cells in the grid joined into one area and never shade a full 2x2 block.
4. Make sure two tetrominoes of the same shape, rotated or mirrored, never touch along an edge.
5. The site tells you when the grid is complete and adds your score; registered players appear on the leaderboards.

Screenshots

Tips

• Shade any region of exactly four cells at once, then look at regions of five or six cells for cells every placement must use.
• Whenever three cells of a 2x2 square are shaded, the fourth must stay empty.
• Check the shape you place against its neighbours: if an L is next door, your shape cannot be an L.
• Missed a day? Earlier puzzles are in the archive, and finishing one still counts toward this month's leaderboard.

Questions