Select a cell to see the digit sets its sums allow.
Mistakes: 0 · Hints left: 3
Medium Kakuro: Where the Logic Starts
Medium Kakuro mixes short runs with longer ones of four, five or more cells. Fewer clues give their digits away on their own, so most of the solving happens where an across run and a down run cross: you narrow each cell to a few candidates and let the two runs settle it.
This is the everyday Play Kakuro puzzle, the one most players keep a streak on. Every grid has a single solution you can reach step by step, so when you feel stuck there is always a deduction waiting somewhere on the board.
Runs from two up to seven cells long, with fewer giveaway clues than easy.
Solvable step by step: each digit you place opens up the next one.
Difficulty climbs through the week: Monday's grid is the gentlest, Sunday's the toughest.
Techniques you'll use
Pencil marks
Note the possible digits in each cell of a long run. The combinations helper under the board lists the digit sets each sum allows, so you only need to cross out what doesn't fit.
Digits a sum must contain
Some sums force a digit even with several combinations. Both ways to make 22 in three cells, 5+8+9 and 6+7+9, use a 9, so one of those three cells is a 9.
Ruling digits out
A 2-cell run that adds up to 5 is 1+4 or 2+3, so neither cell can be 5 or more. Remove those candidates and the crossing runs tighten quickly.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a Kakuro medium instead of easy?
Longer runs and fewer giveaways. On an easy grid many cells are fixed by their own clue; on medium you usually combine two crossing runs before a digit is certain.
Is there a new medium Kakuro every day?
Yes. A new medium puzzle goes live every day at midnight, the same grid for every player, and every past puzzle stays playable in the archive.
Can I get help if I'm stuck?
Yes. Each puzzle comes with three hints that fill in a correct cell, and the combinations helper under the board shows the digit sets for the selected cell. For a full reference, use the Kakuro combinations chart.
About Play Kakuro
Kakuro pairs the grid of a crossword with the logic of Sudoku — every white cell holds a digit from 1 to 9, and every run of cells has to add up to the clue shown in the black triangle beside it. No digit repeats within a run, which is the one rule that turns a math problem into a puzzle you can actually reason through.
Play Kakuro publishes one puzzle a day across three difficulties — easy, medium, and hard — so there's a fresh grid whether you've got two minutes or twenty. Every puzzle has exactly one solution, reachable without guessing, and the archive keeps every past puzzle playable if you miss a day.
Ways to Solve It Faster
A few habits that make the difference between staring at a grid and actually filling it in.
Start with the forced combinations
Some (length, sum) pairs only have one possible set of digits — a 2-cell run summing to 3 can only be 1 and 2. Find these first and the rest of the grid opens up around them.
Work the intersections
Every cell belongs to both a row run and a column run. Narrow one run down to a couple of candidates, cross-check against the other, and you'll often land on a single answer without filling in anything else.
Use pencil marks before you're sure
Jotting down every digit still possible in a cell costs nothing and pays off a few moves later, once other cells fill in and rule out most of the candidates.
Why Kakuro Is Worth Ten Minutes
It's a number puzzle, but the appeal isn't really about math.
Pure logic, no luck
Every published puzzle has exactly one valid solution. If you're stuck, there's always a next deduction to find — you just haven't spotted it yet.
Fast to learn, hard to master
The rules fit in two sentences. Getting good at spotting forced combinations and working intersections takes considerably longer, which is most of why people keep coming back.
Three difficulties, one puzzle
Easy grids finish in a few minutes; hard ones take considerably longer. Same rules throughout, so skills built on easy carry straight over.
A new grid every day
No infinite backlog, no randomizer to keep clicking. One puzzle, once a day, same as everyone else playing it.
Today's Puzzle Is Above
Pick a difficulty and give it a shot — the grid resets at midnight.