Count exhausted
A line with all its owls placed is all foxes from here.
What does “count exhausted” mean?
Once a line holds its full quota of one animal, every remaining empty cell is the other. This is the balance rule used directly. It's cheap and it's decisive: it rarely places one cell, it usually finishes a line.
Pip: Three owls already — that's the quota on a 6-wide line. Everything left is a fox.
Interactive example · 1 of 2 · tap the empty cells
Pip: Three foxes placed. The three gaps are all owls.
Interactive example · 2 of 2 · tap the empty cells
How to spot it fast
Every time you place an animal, recount its row and its column. The quota is half the line: three on a 6×6, four on an 8×8, six on a 12×12.
Common mistake
Counting notes as animals, or forgetting the cell you've just placed.
Practise it
Unlimited puzzles let you drill any size. Other techniques: Pair → bookends · Gap fill · Count pressure · Triple look-ahead · Links = and × · Chain reasoning · hard puzzles.
Try it
Today's Daily is the same puzzle as the app. Unlimited practice is one click away.