Moves Used
Square pips show how many times you have clicked each cell during the current attempt.
A color-changing logic puzzle
Can you change every cell to black?
Clicking a cell changes the colors of its neighbors. The rules are simple, but finding the right combination of moves is not.
Originally created as a Java applet in 2001, Six Neighbors has been modernized for today’s web.
How to play
Every move affects a neighborhood
The puzzle consists of 27 cells. When you click a cell, its six neighboring cells change color. The cell you click does not change.
Each cell can be one of five colors. The colors advance in the clockwise sequence shown on the puzzle board, eventually returning to the first color. Your goal is to make every cell black.
Use Undo to take back a move. Start Over restores the puzzle to its original state, while Next Puzzle gives you another puzzle using the current difficulty settings (Puzzle Group and Minimum Moves).
Finding a solution
See what you have done—and what remains
Moves Needed
Circular pips show how many additional times each cell must be clicked to reach an all-black board.
Inspect
Preview the neighborhood affected by a move before committing to it, especially on touch devices.
Choosing a puzzle
Select a familiar puzzle—or choose its difficulty
Every puzzle has a Puzzle Name. Enter a name to return to a particular puzzle, or share that name so someone else can play the same one.
Puzzle Name
Type a Puzzle Name and press Return to select that puzzle. The same name (any name you like) always identifies the same starting arrangement.
Minimum Moves
Raise Minimum Moves for a harder challenge. New puzzles will require that many moves in their shortest solutions.
Puzzle Groups
Groups limit how many times a cell may need to be clicked. Allowing more repeated clicks generally makes a puzzle more challenging.
Puzzle groups
Choose how often a move may repeat
Puzzle Group controls how often a cell may need to be clicked in the solution.
Only Singles
In the solution, each cell is either clicked or not. None needs to be clicked more than once.
Some Doubles
At least one cell must be clicked twice, but none more than that.
Some Triples
At least one cell will need three clicks.
Some Quads
At least one cell must be clicked four times.
Explore further
More about Six Neighbors
Begin with either walk-through, then return to the puzzle and try the ideas yourself.
Walk-through 1
How to Solve a Six Neighbors Puzzle
Learn the rules and solve the three-move Garden puzzle step by step.
Begin the first walk-throughWalk-through 2
How to Solve a Five-Move Puzzle
Use inspection to reject poor moves and recognize useful board patterns.
Continue to the second walk-throughPlay
Try the ideas yourself
Choose a Puzzle Group and Minimum Moves, then solve a puzzle on your own.
Open Six Neighbors