Solved step by step / October 28, 2026

The star, solved in 23 steps

This is the 7x7 puzzle from October 28, 2026, solved one line at a time. Press Next step and the page tells you which technique makes each move.

Want to try it first? Play the October 28, 2026 puzzle in the archive, then come back to check your solve. Archive play does not affect your streak.

Step 0

The highlighted line is the one being used. New boxes are colored and new crosses are shaded.

In our words

Techniques used

The solver was allowed nine named rules and used 7 of them on this puzzle, 3 full sweeps of rows and columns. Each link goes to the lesson.

The first moves in words

Nothing is known at the start, so the first moves can only use the clues themselves.

  1. Row 3 (clue 7) totals 7 boxes, 0 are placed and only 7 squares are open, so none of the open squares can be spared. Fill squares 1 to 7. (Technique: completing a line.)
  2. Row 4 (clue 5): the clue needs 5 of 7 squares, so the slack is 2. A run of 5 is longer than the slack, so part of it is covered wherever it sits. Fill squares 3 to 5. (Technique: simple boxes.)
  3. Column 1 (clue 1) totals 1 box and it is already placed, so the line is complete. Cross out squares 1, 2 and 4 to 7. (Technique: completing a line.)

Every step, written out

Show the full written solve (23 steps)
  1. Row 3 (clue 7) totals 7 boxes, 0 are placed and only 7 squares are open, so none of the open squares can be spared. Fill squares 1 to 7. (Technique: completing a line.)
  2. Row 4 (clue 5): the clue needs 5 of 7 squares, so the slack is 2. A run of 5 is longer than the slack, so part of it is covered wherever it sits. Fill squares 3 to 5. (Technique: simple boxes.)
  3. Column 1 (clue 1) totals 1 box and it is already placed, so the line is complete. Cross out squares 1, 2 and 4 to 7. (Technique: completing a line.)
  4. Column 2 (clue 2 2): the first box is on square 3, exactly 2 squares in from the edge, which is the length of the first clue. A run of 2 covering it cannot begin before square 2, so the squares before that are never used. Cross out square 1. (Technique: mercury.)
  5. Column 3 (clue 4): once finished runs are set aside only the 4 is left, and it must cover squares 3 and 4. It can begin no earlier than square 1 and end no later than square 6, so it can only occupy squares 1 to 6. The squares outside that are out of reach. Cross out square 7. (Technique: simple spaces.)
  6. Column 4 (clue 5): the clue needs 5 of 7 squares, so the slack is 2. A run of 5 is longer than the slack, so part of it is covered wherever it sits. Fill square 5. (Technique: simple boxes.)
  7. Column 5 (clue 4): once finished runs are set aside only the 4 is left, and it must cover squares 3 and 4. It can begin no earlier than square 1 and end no later than square 6, so it can only occupy squares 1 to 6. The squares outside that are out of reach. Cross out square 7. (Technique: simple spaces.)
  8. Column 6 (clue 2 2): the first box is on square 3, exactly 2 squares in from the edge, which is the length of the first clue. A run of 2 covering it cannot begin before square 2, so the squares before that are never used. Cross out square 1. (Technique: mercury.)
  9. Column 7 (clue 1) totals 1 box and it is already placed, so the line is complete. Cross out squares 1, 2 and 4 to 7. (Technique: completing a line.)
  10. Row 4 (clue 5) totals 5 boxes, 3 are placed and only 2 squares are open, so none of the open squares can be spared. Fill squares 2 and 6. (Technique: completing a line.)
  11. Row 6 (clue 2 2): ignoring crossed ends and finished runs, the open stretch is squares 2 to 6 and its clue is 2 2. That needs 5 of 5 squares, so the slack is 0, and runs longer than that overlap. Fill squares 2, 3, 5 and 6. (Technique: counting the slack.)
  12. Column 2 (clue 2 2): the run on squares 3 and 4 is as long as the longest clue (2), so it cannot grow and the squares touching it are empty. Cross out squares 2 and 5. (Technique: punctuating.)
  13. Column 3 (clue 4): once finished runs are set aside only the 4 is left, and it must cover squares 3 to 6. It can begin no earlier than square 3 and end no later than square 6, so it can only occupy squares 3 to 6. The squares outside that are out of reach. Cross out squares 1 and 2. (Technique: simple spaces.)
  14. Column 3 (clue 4): the last box is on square 6, right against the cross on square 7. That is closer than the last clue (4) is long, so that run has to include the box. Pushed against the end it reaches square 3, so everything from the box to there is filled. Fill square 5. (Technique: glue.)
  15. Column 5 (clue 4): once finished runs are set aside only the 4 is left, and it must cover squares 3 to 6. It can begin no earlier than square 3 and end no later than square 6, so it can only occupy squares 3 to 6. The squares outside that are out of reach. Cross out squares 1 and 2. (Technique: simple spaces.)
  16. Column 5 (clue 4): the last box is on square 6, right against the cross on square 7. That is closer than the last clue (4) is long, so that run has to include the box. Pushed against the end it reaches square 3, so everything from the box to there is filled. Fill square 5. (Technique: glue.)
  17. Column 6 (clue 2 2): the run on squares 3 and 4 is as long as the longest clue (2), so it cannot grow and the squares touching it are empty. Cross out squares 2 and 5. (Technique: punctuating.)
  18. Row 1 (clue 1) totals 1 box, 0 are placed and only 1 square is open, so none of the open squares can be spared. Fill square 4. (Technique: completing a line.)
  19. Row 2 (clue 1) totals 1 box, 0 are placed and only 1 square is open, so none of the open squares can be spared. Fill square 4. (Technique: completing a line.)
  20. Row 6 (clue 2 2) totals 4 boxes and all are already placed, so the line is complete. Cross out square 4. (Technique: completing a line.)
  21. Column 2 (clue 2 2) totals 4 boxes, 3 are placed and only 1 square is open, so none of the open squares can be spared. Fill square 7. (Technique: completing a line.)
  22. Column 4 (clue 5) totals 5 boxes and all are already placed, so the line is complete. Cross out square 7. (Technique: completing a line.)
  23. Column 6 (clue 2 2) totals 4 boxes, 3 are placed and only 1 square is open, so none of the open squares can be spared. Fill square 7. (Technique: completing a line.)
All 12 techniquesLessons with puzzlesMore solvesStep by stepNonogram solverCheck your cluesArchiveEvery past puzzle
GRIDS game screenshot
Daily practice

GRIDS: daily nonogram

Today's puzzle is waiting. Use what the weekly solve showed you.

Play GRIDS

Questions

Which puzzle is this?

The daily GRIDS puzzle for October 28, 2026, a 7x7 picture of a star. It is already in the archive, so working through it will not give away a puzzle that is still live.

Is every step logic, or did the solver guess?

Every one of the 23 steps is a line deduction that follows from the clue and the squares already known. Nothing is guessed or tried and then undone.

Why does the same technique appear so many times?

Because a puzzle has many lines. Here completing a line accounts for 10 of 23 moves, mostly because it is the quickest way to finish a line.