Puzzle guide

How to solve Slant

In Slant every cell gets a slanted line, either \ or /. The numbers sit on the corners where cells meet and say how many lines touch them. The one rule that makes it tricky: the lines may never close a loop. Here is how to place every line.

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The rules

Draw a slanted line in every cell, so that every number has exactly that many lines touching it.
The numbers sit on the corners where cells meet. A corner without a number can have any number of lines.
The lines may never make a closed loop.
Every cell gets a line. None stays empty.

A solved puzzle

A solved puzzle. Each 4 has four lines touching it, each 1 in a corner of the board has one, and no lines close a loop.

Your first moves

Find every 4: all four cells around it point into it.
Find every 0: all cells around it point away from it.
Look at numbers on the edge and in the corners of the puzzle: they have fewer cells around them, so there is less choice.
Before every line, check that it does not close a loop.

Techniques, step by step

A 4 takes every line

A 4 has four cells around it, and all four lines must touch it. So every cell points into the 4, making a cross. A 2 on the edge, with only two cells around it, works the same way.

All four lines touch the 4: an X shape.

A 0 touches nothing

A 0 on the edge has two cells beside it, and neither line may touch it. So both lean away. Whenever a number already has all its lines, every other cell around it leans away; whenever it needs every cell left, they all lean in.

Both lines lean away from the 0.

Corners of the puzzle

A number in a corner of the puzzle has only one cell beside it. A 1 there means that cell's line runs into the corner; a 0 means it runs the other way. Corners and edges are the easiest places to start.

A 1 in the corner: the line runs into it.

No closed loops

Three lines here already form three sides of a small diamond. If the last cell got a /, it would close the diamond into a loop. So it takes the other line, \. Each time two corners are already joined by a chain of lines, a cell that would join them directly must lean the other way. On bigger boards, loops can be long, so follow the chains.

A / would close the diamond, so the cell gets \.

One step ahead

When counting and loops both stop helping, pick one cell and imagine it as /. Follow what that forces: the numbers nearby, the loops. If it ends with a number that gets too many lines or a loop that cannot be avoided, the cell must be \. You only ever look one cell deep, so it stays a short, clear argument.

Common mistakes

Counting the wrong corner. A number counts the lines that touch its own corner, not the lines in the cells around it.
A loop you did not see. Loops can be big. Before drawing, check whether the two corners a line would join are already connected some other way.
Leaving cells empty. Every cell needs a line. The app does not mark empty cells.
Forgetting corners with no number. They say nothing, so they can have any number of lines.

Questions and answers

What is Slant?

A logic puzzle where you draw a slanted line in every cell of a grid. Numbers on the corners say how many lines touch them, and the lines may never form a closed loop. It is also called Gokigen Naname.

How do I draw the lines?

Tap a cell to draw \, and tap again to clear it. Press and hold to draw /. Drag across cells to draw the same line in all of them.

What counts as a loop?

Any chain of lines that comes back to where it started, enclosing an area. It can be as small as a diamond around one corner or as big as the whole puzzle.

Where should I start?

With 4s, 0s and numbers on the edges and in the corners. Then use the loop rule for cells next to long chains of lines.

How big are the boards?

They grow with the difficulty, from 6×10 on Easy to 12×18 on Expert.

Ready to play?

Start at the 4s, the 0s and the edges, never close a loop, and think one cell ahead when you are stuck. That is how every Slant falls into line.