List every way a row or column can hold its remaining tents: not side by side, not touching other tents, and leaving every tree a tent of its own. A square that’s a tent in every way is a tent; a square every way rules out is grass. That includes squares in the next row that a tent would touch in every way.
This is the last of the Tents techniques. Each page shows its technique on the same 10×10 from the game, Hard level 3.
The rule
- Pick a row or column with only a few open squares left.
- List every way to place its remaining tents, none side by side or touching another tent.
- Drop any way that would leave a tree with no tent of its own.
- Mark what’s the same in every way: tents that are always there, and squares (in the line or around it) that every way rules out.
In a real puzzle
On the 10×10, it’s first needed at step 6. Row 1 needs two tents and has three open squares, in columns 5, 7 and 9. Every way to choose two of them touches row 2, columns 6 and 8, so those are grass.
How often you’ll need it
Never on Easy, on 16 of the 50 Medium levels, and on every Hard one, 3.2 times per Hard level on average. It’s 1 of the 22 moves on the 10×10 here.