Tapa
Read the wall clues and shade one connected wall with no 2x2 block.
How to play Tapa
Each clue cell holds one to four numbers. Those numbers are the lengths of the separate runs of shaded cells among the clue's eight surrounding neighbours, in any order: a clue of "1 3" means one lone shaded neighbour and a run of three, with a gap between them. Click cells to shade them so every clue reads correctly. The finished shaded cells must all connect into one single wall, and no 2x2 area may be completely filled. Clue cells themselves are never shaded. Use the mode button to mark cells you know are empty, and Hint if you are stuck. Beat your best time.
Reading a Tapa clue
Tapa clues look strange until the rule clicks. The numbers in a clue cell are the lengths of the separate runs of shaded cells among its eight surrounding neighbors, in any order. A clue of 3 means three shaded neighbors in a row somewhere around it. A clue of 1 3 means one lone shaded neighbor and a separate run of three, with at least one gap between them. The order is not fixed, so part of the puzzle is working out where each run actually sits.
Position changes how strong a clue is. An interior clue watches eight neighbors, a clue on the edge only five, and one in a corner just three. The same numbers squeezed into a smaller space leave far fewer arrangements, which is why edge and corner clues are usually the best places to start.
Two constraints that shape the wall
Shade cells so every clue reads correctly, and remember the clue cells themselves are never shaded. They only describe their neighbors. Two structural rules govern the rest. First, all shaded cells must connect into one single wall; no isolated blob floating on its own. Second, no 2x2 area may be completely filled. The two rules constantly interact. A clue that seems to demand a fat block is usually forced into an L-shape or a snaking line to dodge the 2x2 ban, and a lone arm of wall out in the open must eventually snake home to the main body.
Deductions worth memorizing
- A 0 clue empties all its neighbors, and a huge total fills nearly all of them. A 7 on an interior clue means exactly one of the eight neighbors stays empty, nothing more to figure out.
- Check the arithmetic. The numbers, plus at least one gap between each pair of runs, must fit the neighbor count. A 3 3 on an interior clue uses six shaded cells and two gaps, exactly eight, so both gaps are single cells sitting directly opposite each other in the ring.
- 1 1 is not the same as 2. The first means two lone shaded neighbors with space between them; the second means a touching pair. Misreading that costs more solves than any hard logic ever will.
- On an edge, use overlap. A run of 4 among an edge clue's five neighbors only fits two ways, and the middle three cells are shaded in both, so you can shade them immediately.
Here is how a solve usually opens. Find a corner clue first: with only three neighbors, a 3 fills all of them, and even a small number cuts the options to almost nothing. Then push along the border, where the five-cell arcs make runs overlap. Only then head inland, letting the wall's need to stay connected drag the separate strands toward each other. Somewhere in the middle game the 2x2 rule takes over as the main engine, forcing a corner into every fat region you have built.
Workflow, marks, and pace
Use the mode button to mark cells you have proven empty. Those marks keep the connectivity picture clear and stop you second-guessing a finished region. When two clues share neighbors, the overlap often pins down individual cells, so scan for clue pairs sitting close together. Watch the 2x2 rule as the wall thickens: the moment three cells of any little square are shaded, the fourth is forced empty and deserves a mark. Hint is there when you are genuinely stuck, and the board tracks your best time, so once a puzzle makes sense the goal shifts to solving it cleanly and fast.
Where Tapa comes from
Tapa is a modern puzzle, created in 2007 by the Turkish puzzle maker Serkan Yurekli. The name is short for Turkish Art Paint: in the early puzzles, the finished wall of shaded cells drew a small picture. It spread quickly through the international puzzle-championship scene, and setters have since spun off dozens of variants, because those two simple constraints (one connected wall, no filled square) generate deductions that still feel fresh even to seasoned solvers. If you enjoy Nurikabe or Slitherlink you will recognise the family resemblance: a tiny rule set, no arithmetic beyond counting, and shape logic pressed until it gives.
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Tapa: frequently asked questions
What do the numbers in a clue mean?
They are the lengths of the blocks of consecutive shaded cells among the eight cells surrounding that clue. Order does not matter, but separate numbers mean there must be at least one unshaded gap between those blocks.
What is the 2x2 rule?
No two-by-two square of cells may be entirely shaded. Every 2x2 area must contain at least one unshaded cell, which keeps the wall thin and puzzle-like.
Do all shaded cells connect?
Yes. Every shaded cell must be orthogonally linked to the others so the whole wall forms one single connected group.
Are the clue cells shaded?
No. Cells that contain clue numbers are always left unshaded. You only shade the blank cells around them.
What do the numbers in a clue mean?
They give the lengths of the separate runs of shaded cells among the eight neighbors around the clue, listed in any order. A 3 is a run of three shaded neighbors.
Does the clue 1 3 have to appear in that order?
No, the order is free. It just means one lone shaded neighbor and a run of three somewhere among the eight surrounding cells, with at least one gap between them.
Are clue cells ever shaded?
Never. A clue cell only describes its neighbors and always stays empty itself, so you can treat every numbered cell as a permanent gap in the wall.
What are the two structural rules?
Every shaded cell must connect into one single wall, and no 2x2 area may be completely filled. Most deductions come from juggling those two against the clue numbers.
Where should I start solving?
The largest and smallest clues, and anything on an edge or corner. A high number forces nearly all its neighbors shaded, a 0 forces them all empty, and corner clues have only three neighbors to arrange, so all of these hand you certain cells to build from.
What is the difference between a clue of 1 1 and a clue of 2?
A 1 1 means two separate lone shaded neighbors with at least one empty cell between them. A 2 means one connected pair. Mixing those up is the most common Tapa mistake, so slow down whenever a clue repeats small numbers.
Is Tapa free to play?
Yes. Tapa is completely free on Inkplay, with no download, no sign-up, and no in-game purchases. Open the page and play instantly on desktop or mobile.
Can I play Tapa unblocked?
Yes. Tapa runs entirely in your browser with no download, install, or plugins, so it loads instantly and keeps working even on school or work networks where bigger game sites get blocked.
More games to play
In the mood for more? Try 2048, Memory Match, Lights Out, Minesweeper, or browse all puzzle games and the full games list on Inkplay. Tapa also appears in Logic Puzzles.