Logic GamesLogic & pattern practice
Patches guide
Use areas and factor pairs to place rectangles.
Puzzle practice guide
How to play Zip
Plan a complete path through numbered checkpoints.
Train for Zip by connecting numbered checkpoints in order while visiting every cell. The challenge is to leave enough space for the rest of the path. Practice archived Zip puzzles or generated boards online, and learn to recognize forced entrances before drawing long sections.
01 / The essentials
Zip rules
- Start at 1 and visit the numbered cells in ascending order, ending at the final number.
- Move between horizontally or vertically adjacent cells. The path must visit every cell exactly once.
- Do not cross a wall or revisit a cell. You cannot jump ahead to a later numbered checkpoint.
02 / Build the habit
Zip strategy
Inspect narrow cells
An ordinary cell that is not an endpoint needs an entrance and an exit. Corners, walls, and already occupied cells can leave exactly two usable neighbors, forcing how the path passes through.
Protect the unfinished area
Before closing a loop-shaped section, check whether it cuts off unvisited cells. Every remaining area must still be reachable by the unfinished path. A visually short route is not necessarily a valid one.
Plan around checkpoints
Ask how you will leave each checkpoint as well as reach it. A future checkpoint can block a tempting shortcut because you must encounter earlier numbers first.
03 / Worked example
A corner can force two edges
Consider an unnumbered corner with both of its adjacent cells open. Because the corner is not the start or finish, the path must enter through one neighbor and leave through the other. Taking both neighbors in separate earlier sections would strand the corner.
04 / Put it into practice
A Zip practice plan
- Before drawing, identify the final checkpoint and any narrow corridors.
- Solve a board slowly and pause whenever the path divides the remaining empty cells into separate areas.
- Replay the board with fewer reversals, then test that planning habit on a fresh board.
A common mistake
Do not stop when the numbered sequence is connected. A valid Zip solution also covers every unnumbered cell. Check the remaining space before committing to the finish.
Can a Zip path move diagonally?
No. Each step crosses a shared horizontal or vertical cell edge, and walls block those steps. Touching a cell at its corner does not connect the path.
Guide updated . Rules describe the version on Logic Games.