Loose Ends

Draw a path between each pair of matching dots. Paths cannot cross, and every square on the board has to be used.

• -Draw a path between each pair of matching dots on the 7 by 7 board. Each pair has its own colour and its own letter.
• -Press a dot and drag to the squares beside it: up, down, left or right. Paths cannot cross each other or run through another pair's dot.
• -The puzzle is solved when every pair is joined and every square on the board is used. Joining every pair with squares still empty is not the end.
• -A path does not have to be finished in one go. Press its end to carry on, or press anywhere along it to cut it back to that square.
• -Par is one stroke for each pair. Every change you make to the board is a stroke: drawing a path, redrawing or cutting one back, and clearing the board.
• -Undo puts the board back one change at a time, as often as you like. It does not give strokes back.
• -You get two hints. Each one shows the route of one pair on the board for you to draw, and your result shows how many you used.
• -Loose Ends is a classic pencil puzzle, also known as Numberlink.

Where to start

Start at the edges and in the corners. A square in a corner has only two neighbours, so the path through it has only one way to turn, and a dot on the edge has three ways out rather than four. Then look for the pair with the fewest routes: two dots with a wall of other dots between them, or a dot boxed in on three sides. Short paths tend to run between long ones, and long ones sweep round the outside of the board, so a path that leaves a pocket of one or two squares nothing else can reach is the wrong path, however tidy it looks. Every change is a stroke, so work a route out before you draw it: an empty board costs nothing to look at.