Play Tapa Online

What Is Tapa?

Tapa is a cell-shading logic puzzle created by the Turkish puzzle designer Serkan Yürekli. It first gained widespread recognition through the World Puzzle Championship and has since become one of the most popular competitive logic puzzles in the world. The name "Tapa" has no specific meaning in Turkish — it was coined specifically for this puzzle type.

The puzzle is played on a rectangular grid. Some cells contain one or more clue numbers. Your task is to shade (blacken) some of the remaining cells to form a single, orthogonally connected wall, while satisfying every clue and never creating a 2×2 fully-shaded block. The rules are deceptively simple, but the interplay between connectivity, the no-pool constraint, and the clue descriptions produces rich, satisfying deductive chains.

Rules of Tapa

1. Clue cells are never shaded. Cells containing numbers remain white and are part of the background, not the wall.
2. Clue numbers describe neighbours. The numbers in a clue cell describe the lengths of consecutive groups of shaded cells among its eight neighbours (reading clockwise). For example, a clue of 2 1 means there is a group of 2 shaded cells and a separate group of 1 shaded cell, separated by at least one unshaded gap. A single 4 means exactly 4 consecutive shaded neighbours in an unbroken run.
3. Connected wall. All shaded cells must form a single orthogonally connected group — you should be able to travel from any wall cell to any other wall cell through a chain of horizontally or vertically adjacent wall cells.
4. No 2×2 pools. No 2×2 block of cells may all be shaded. This forces the wall to remain relatively thin and creates frequent deduction points.
5. Unique solution. A well-formed Tapa puzzle has exactly one solution, reachable through pure logical deduction with no guessing required.

How to Read Tapa Clues

Understanding Tapa clues is the key to solving the puzzle. Each clue cell has eight potential neighbours (fewer if the cell is on an edge or corner). The numbers in the clue describe contiguous runs of shaded cells around the clue, moving clockwise. Separate numbers must be separated by at least one unshaded gap.

• Single number (e.g. "3"): Exactly 3 of the neighbours are shaded, and they form one contiguous group.
• Multiple numbers (e.g. "1 2"): There is a group of 1 and a group of 2, separated by at least one gap. The total shaded neighbours is 3.
• "1 1 1": Three separate single-cell groups, each separated by a gap. Total shaded: 3.
• "0": No neighbours are shaded at all. Every surrounding cell is part of the background.
• "8": All eight neighbours are shaded (only possible for interior cells with exactly 8 neighbours).

How to Play Tapa Online

1. Choose a grid size and difficulty. Pick from 7×7 to 14×14 grids, each with Easy, Medium, or Hard settings.
2. Study the clues. Look at the numbers inside clue cells. They tell you how the wall segments are arranged around each clue.
3. Click or tap cells. The first tap shades a cell (wall). A second tap marks it as definitely empty (dot). A third tap clears it.
4. Use Check. Press ✓ Check to see how many issues remain. Incorrect cells won't be revealed, but the count helps guide you.
5. Solve it! When every cell is correctly shaded, the puzzle auto-completes and shows your time.

Strategy Tips for Tapa

1. Start with Extreme Clues

Look for clues like 0 (all neighbours empty), 8 (all neighbours shaded), or clues that nearly fill the neighbourhood (e.g., 7 in an interior cell means only one neighbour is unshaded). These give you the most information immediately.

2. Use the No-Pool Rule

After shading cells, check every potential 2×2 block. If three of the four cells are already shaded, the fourth must be empty. This rule triggers constantly and drives many mid-solve deductions.

3. Ensure Wall Connectivity

If marking a cell as empty would split the wall into two disconnected pieces, that cell must be shaded. Conversely, if shading a cell would create an isolated pocket that can never connect to the main wall, it must remain empty.

4. Corner and Edge Clues Are Most Constrained

Clues in corners have only 3 neighbours; edge clues have 5. Fewer neighbours means fewer possible arrangements, making these the easiest starting points.

5. Count Total Shaded Neighbours

The sum of all numbers in a clue equals the total count of shaded neighbours. If a clue says 2 3, exactly 5 of its neighbours are shaded. Knowing the total often narrows down which cells are shaded, even before considering the grouping.

6. Enumerate Possible Configurations

For tricky clues, mentally or on paper list all the ways the groups could be arranged around the 8 (or fewer) neighbours. Cells that are shaded in every valid arrangement must be wall; cells that are empty in every arrangement must be background.

History of Tapa

Tapa was invented by Serkan Yürekli, one of the world's leading puzzle designers and a multiple-time champion at the World Puzzle Championship (WPC). The puzzle first appeared in the early 2000s and quickly became a staple of international puzzle competitions. Yürekli, who hails from Turkey, has designed thousands of Tapa variations and is widely considered the foremost authority on the puzzle.

Tapa gained prominence through its regular appearance in the WPC and in publications such as the Logic Masters India puzzle portal and various European puzzle magazines. The puzzle's elegant combination of connectivity, clue interpretation, and the 2×2 pool ban sets it apart from other shading puzzles. Over the years, dozens of Tapa variants have emerged — Tapa-Like Loop, Equal Tapa, Pata, and many others — all building on the core mechanics.

Unlike many classic logic puzzles that originated with Nikoli (e.g. Sudoku, Nurikabe, Slitherlink), Tapa has distinctly Turkish roots and represents the growing global community of puzzle design. It is now widely regarded as one of the "Big Five" competitive logic puzzles alongside Sudoku, Nurikabe, Slitherlink, and Hashi.

Tapa vs Other Shading Puzzles

• vs Nurikabe: Both require a connected shaded region with no 2×2 pools. However, Nurikabe's clues define island sizes, while Tapa's clues describe neighbour groupings. Nurikabe has multiple white islands; Tapa's white cells needn't be connected.
• vs Nonograms: Both shade cells on a grid, but Nonograms use row/column clue lists, while Tapa's clues are embedded in the grid and describe 8-directional neighbours. Nonograms don't require connectivity.
• vs Hitori: Both involve shading grid cells, but Hitori eliminates duplicate numbers in rows/columns, while Tapa builds a connected wall from clue descriptions.
• vs Light Up (Akari): Both have clue cells with constraints on neighbours, but Light Up places bulbs that project rays, while Tapa shades a contiguous wall.
• vs Minesweeper: Both use clues that count shaded/mine neighbours, but Minesweeper counts totals while Tapa describes consecutive group lengths — a richer clue type that makes Tapa puzzles uniquely deductive.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Puzzle & Strategy Games

If you enjoy Tapa, try these other free games on our site: