Tango

Fill a 6×6 grid with suns and moons. A new Tango every day, with exactly one solution you can reach by logic, never by guessing.

The rules

Fill a 6×6 grid. Every cell holds a sun or a moon:

  • Every row and every column has exactly three suns and three moons.
  • No three identical symbols may sit in a row, horizontally or vertically. Two side by side is fine.
  • An = sign between two cells: both hold the same symbol.
  • An × sign between two cells: they hold opposite symbols.

Every puzzle has exactly one solution. You can reach it by logic alone, without guessing.

How to play here

  • Click a cell to cycle between empty, sun and moon.
  • Keyboard: arrows to move, 1 for sun, 2 for moon, Space or Enter to cycle, Delete to erase.
  • Undo: Ctrl+Z. Redo: Ctrl+Y.
  • Cells that break a rule are marked with diagonal stripes.

Difficulty levels

Level What it takes
Easy Signs, pairs, gaps and counting
Medium + Counting with × pairs
Hard + Checking every option for one or two lines
Expert + Checking full lines three times or more

Techniques

Signs

Once one side of a sign is filled, the other side follows: the same symbol next to =, the opposite symbol next to ×.

Pair

Two identical symbols side by side, for example two suns. The cells on either end must be moons, or there would be three in a row.

Gap

Two identical symbols with an empty cell between them, for example sun, empty, sun. The middle cell must be a moon.

Counting

If a row already has three suns, every empty cell left in it is a moon. The same goes for columns.

Counting with ×

Two empty cells joined by × always hold one sun and one moon. Say a row still needs just one more sun, and it has an empty × pair. The missing sun is in the pair, so every other empty cell in the row is a moon.

Line check

When there is no simple step, pick a line with few empty cells. Go through every legal way to complete it. A cell that gets the same symbol in all of them is fixed.

Tips

  1. Always start with the signs and the pairs. They open most of the grid.
  2. After placing a symbol, check its row and its column.
  3. In a line with only two symbols missing, try both options in your head.

FAQ

What do the = and × signs mean?
= between two cells means they hold the same symbol. × means they hold opposite symbols: one sun and one moon.
Is there a new puzzle every day?
Yes. A new Tango is published every day at each of the four levels: easy, medium, hard and expert. Earlier puzzles are in the archive.
Do I need an account to play?
No. You play right in your browser, with no sign-up and no cookies. Your progress is saved in your browser.