Welcome to my blog! Sit back, relax, and solve a puzzle or two.

Our first entry is a hashiwokakero puzzle, which translates to “build bridges” from Japanese. The aspiring alchemist Jasmine Larson hopes to create an elixir for memory loss, and so she has undertaken several experiments involving rather dubious chemicals. Her goal is to connect all the flasks with a series of tubes, which must follow certain criteria:

• Tubes must begin/end at distinct flasks and travel straight between them.
• Tubes cannot cross any other tubes or flasks.
• Tubes cannot run diagonally.
• At most, two tubes connect a pair of flasks.
• The number of tubes connected to each flask must match the number on that flask.
• The tubes must connect the flasks into a single connected group.

The pictures below depict a sample puzzle on a 5×5 grid, along with its solution. The tubes are drawn with yellow lines between the flasks.

Now, can you solve the puzzle below and help Jasmine complete her experiment?

The solution will be released in the next blog post. Happy puzzling!