Slants (BrainBashers)

About Slants (BrainBashers)

Slants is BrainBashers' name for Gokigen Naname. Every square of the grid holds a cross, and every cross must become a single diagonal line, either leaning left or leaning right. Some of the grid's corner points carry a number from 0 to 4, which is how many of the diagonals in the surrounding squares point into that corner. The second rule is that the lines must never close into a loop of any size.

Kevin Stone's site posts seven sizes every day, 4x4, 6x4 and 7x5 at Easy and 8x6, 10x8, 12x10 and 15x12 at Medium, with a 17x15 weekly special. The help page shows that you can click a clue to mark it done once it is satisfied, and walks through a solve. The play page has check, answer, print and restart buttons, an option to show mistakes and an optional clock.

The puzzles change at midnight GMT or at the time zone you set, and the date list keeps a few weeks of earlier days. No adverts, no account.

It suits players who like Slitherlink, since the no-loop rule calls for the same kind of whole-board thinking, but in short grids that are quick to finish.

How to play Slants (BrainBashers)

1. Open the Daily Slants page and pick one of today's sizes.
2. Replace each cross with a diagonal line leaning one way or the other.
3. Make each numbered corner have exactly that many lines pointing into it.
4. Never let the lines join up into a closed loop.
5. Mark finished clues, then check or show the answer; new grids appear after midnight GMT.

Tips

• A 0 means no line points to that corner, which fixes every square around it.
• A 4 in the middle points all four surrounding lines inward.
• A 1 on the edge of the grid has only two squares, often enough to decide both.
• Before placing a line, check it would not close a diamond with lines already drawn.

Questions