What is Binairo?
Binairo is a logic puzzle with only two symbols. In newspapers they are usually the digits 0 and 1, which is why it is often called the binary puzzle; here they are black and white squares. The grid starts partly filled, and you complete it by keeping every line balanced and never letting three of the same color line up.
The puzzle was created in Belgium in the late 2000s and quickly spread to puzzle books across Europe under names like Binairo and Takuzu. The rules take seconds to learn, and the puzzles get deep fast. Play it here from quick 6×6 grids to large 14×14 boards.
How to play here
Click or tap a cell to change its color. With a mouse, the right button changes it the other way, and on a phone Mark mode (the flag button next to Undo) does the same job. Undo takes back any move.
A step-by-step way to solve
- Break up every pair. Two squares of the same color side by side must be capped by the other color at both ends.
- Fill the gaps. A single empty square between two of the same color must be the other color.
- Count each line. When a row or column already has half its squares in one color, all its remaining squares are the other color.
- Look for near-full lines. If a line needs one more of a color and only one position avoids three in a row, that is where it goes.
- Alternate rows and columns. Every square you place gives new information in the other direction, so keep switching.
Why play Binairo?
Binairo is ideal if you like sudoku but want something faster and more visual. Small grids take a couple of minutes, while 14×14 boards need patient counting. It is also the natural next step after Tango, which uses the same ideas on a 6×6 grid with extra clues.
How to play Binairo
- Fill every empty cell with black or white.
- No more than two squares of the same color may sit next to each other in a row or column.
- Each row and each column holds as many black squares as white ones.
Binairo tips
Break up pairs
Two black squares side by side must have a white square on each end. This single rule solves a surprising share of every puzzle.
Fill the gap between two
In the pattern black, empty, black, the middle cell must be white, otherwise three blacks would line up.
Count to finish lines
On a 10×10 grid each line needs five of each color. Once a line has five of one color, the rest are the other.
Frequently asked questions
Are Binairo, Takuzu and the binary puzzle the same?
Yes. The puzzle is known as Binairo in the Netherlands and Belgium, Takuzu in France, and the binary puzzle or Unruly elsewhere. Printed versions often use 0s and 1s; here the two symbols are black and white squares.
Is this like the LinkedIn Tango puzzle?
Tango uses the same balance and no-three-in-a-row rules with suns and moons plus extra = and × clues. If you like Tango, you will feel at home here.
Do I need maths for Binairo?
No. The two colors are just symbols; the puzzle is pure logic.
