Every tree needs a tent.
Finding the right place is the puzzle.
Learn the rules. Make a deduction. Pitch your first tent.
Above, below, left or right. Each square shares a side with the tree.
Scroll to unfold the lesson, or use the arrows.
A tent belongs in a square immediately above, below, left or right of a tree. The two squares must share a side.
A diagonal tent does not count: it only meets the tree at a corner. By the end, every tree needs a different tent, and every tent needs a tree.
One tree. One tent. One shared side.
Tents cannot touch each other. That includes all four sides and all four corners.
Watch the second tent try a tempting spot beside its tree. It still touches the first tent diagonally. Moving it to the other side makes room for both.
Trees can touch. Tents cannot.
A number on the left tells you how many tents belong in that row, across the board. A number above the board does the same for its column, down the board.
A 0 rules out every tent in its line. When a line has its full number of tents, its other empty squares cannot hold any more.
The numbers count tents, not trees.
Yes—as long as the complete arrangement allows every tree to be paired with its own distinct adjacent tent.
Watch neighbours become partners. Dashed lines show possible neighbours; solid threads show a chosen pair. Each tent gets just one partner.
In the complete example, the middle tent pairs with the right-hand tree, and the left tent pairs with the left tree. Remove either tent and a tree is left waiting.
A one-to-one pairing, across the whole puzzle.
Start with the zeros. Row 3 and columns 2 and 4 need no tents, so we can mark their empty squares as grass.
Grass is a note to yourself: “no tent here.” It helps you see what is left. You do not need to mark every unused square to win.
Begin with what you know for certain.
Look at the tree on the right. The zeros have ruled out above and below. There is no square beyond the board.
Its only possible tent is immediately to the left. That is a deduction: the other choices cannot work.
First, leave room above the new tent. That square cannot hold another tent.
Then read the 1 beside row 2. Its one tent is already there, so the far-left square is grass.
Now look at the top tree: the only place left for its tent is on the left.
The lower-left tree has grass above and to its right. Its tent belongs below.
Three separate tents, three distinct pairs, every edge clue satisfied. That is the whole puzzle—and the way one small certainty leads to another.
Your turn to find the next one.
Three little decisions. Take your time, try an idea, and see what happens.
Check the tree rule first. The edge clues are hidden in this example.
Trees: row 2, column 2.
Tap A or B on the board.
Make a choice. A wrong turn is a useful clue.
Yes. A shares a side with the tree. Above, below, left or right all count.
Check every side and corner of the tent already on the board. Edge clues are hidden here.
Trees: row 1, column 1; row 3, column 3. Existing tents: row 2, column 1.
Tap A or B on the board.
Make a choice. A wrong turn is a useful clue.
A good spot. B shares a side with its tree and leaves a gap from the other tent.
The numbers count tents, not trees. A tree may stand in a line with a zero.
Trees: row 2, column 2.
Tap A or B on the board.
Make a choice. A wrong turn is a useful clue.
Exactly. The zero rules out A. B is beside the tree, and its row needs one tent.
Place five tents. Match the numbers, leave space, and give every tree its own partner. Look for a zero to start.
Tap an empty square to pitch a tent; tap it again to remove it. Choose Grass to make a note. Keyboard: arrows to move, Enter or Space to mark, G to switch tools.
0 of 5 tents
Five trees are waiting. Where could the first tent go?
Grass is just a note. You can finish with unused squares still blank.
Your practice stays separate from the full game.
Every row and column total matches, the tents do not touch, and each tree has a distinct adjacent tent. Unused squares can stay blank.
You know what to look for now: a shared side, a little space, and a clue that makes the next move certain. Take that with you.
Play TentsOr take the scenic route through The Folding Forest.
Grass marks are optional notes. You win when the tents satisfy the rules, even if other squares are still blank.
Put the rules into playNo. Two tents cannot share a side or a corner. All eight squares around a tent are unavailable to other tents. A tree may still stand in one of those squares.
Yes. What matters is whether the complete arrangement allows a one-to-one pairing: each tree gets a different orthogonally adjacent tent, and every tent is used once. Adjacency does not automatically assign a tent to every neighbouring tree.
See the two-pair exampleYes. The edge number counts tents only. A zero means no tents in that row or column; it does not remove its trees.
No. Grass marks simply record squares where you believe a tent cannot go. Our Tents game checks the tents, their spacing, the clues and the complete pairing. Empty squares may remain unmarked.
Start with zero clues, then look for trees with just one available neighbour. After placing a tent, rule out the surrounding squares and check for rows or columns that are now full. Repeat those small deductions before trying anything more complicated.
Check all four rules together. Matching the numbers is not enough if tents touch or if two trees are relying on the same tent. If you use grass notes, a mistaken grass mark can also hide the square you need. Undo or clear it and look again.
Made by Hop to Play. The illustrations and teaching puzzles are original. The worked example and optional practice puzzle each have one verified solution, checked with the same rules used by our Tents game.
Rules reference: Simon Tatham’s Tents documentation.
For another puzzle built on small deductions, learn how to play Light Up (Akari) in our illustrated beginner guide.
