How to Get Better at Logic Puzzles: 8 Habits of Good Solvers

Good puzzle solvers aren't always smarter. They have better habits. These eight work for almost any logic puzzle, from sudoku and logic grids to mazes and arrow boards.

1. Know the rules exactly

It sounds obvious, but many "impossible" puzzles are really misread ones. Check the details before you start. Can the path cross itself? Does every number have to be used? In BallRoute, does the ball need every key before the exit?

2. Start with what is certain

Every puzzle has a few things you can be sure of. In sudoku it is a row with one empty cell. In an arrow puzzle it is a locked arrow, or the only cell next to the exit. Fill in the certain parts first. They shrink everything else.

3. Work backwards

When the start is wide open, begin at the end. Mazes are famously easier to solve from the exit, and route puzzles are the same: the exit usually has only one or two ways in.

4. Eliminate instead of guessing

Ask "what can't go here?" instead of "what goes here?". Crossing out impossible options is slower at first, but it rarely leads you into a dead end.

5. Test one idea at a time

When you do have to try something, change one thing and check the result. If you change five things at once and it fails, you don't know which one was wrong. In BallRoute, dropping the ball and undoing are free, which makes this easy.

6. Split big puzzles into small ones

A large board is a set of small boards. Solve one corner, then the next part. In arrow puzzles, split the route at a fixed point such as a portal or a locked arrow.

7. Use hints as lessons

If you take a hint, don't just apply it. Ask why that move was right and what you missed. The goal isn't finishing this level. It's recognising the pattern next time.

8. Play a little, often

Puzzle skill grows with practice, and spreading it out helps. Fifteen minutes a day will take you further than a long session once a week. A daily puzzle is an easy way to build the habit.

Bonus: go back for the perfect solution

Once you have solved a level, ask whether there is a shorter way. Every BallRoute level has one perfect solution with the fewest moves, and finding it after you have already won is where you learn the most. Our arrow puzzle tips show how.