How to play
- Goal
- Connect every circle to one other circle with an orthogonal path, keeping paths separate and placing each path’s gray segment exactly in its middle; a numbered circle counts the cells before its first gray cell, including the circle itself.
- How it ends
- The chart finishes when every circle is paired and every path obeys the rules; paths remain editable before completion, so there is no loss state.
- Record
- Your first unaided solve time is recorded for each chart; Replay is Practice.
- Start at a circle and trace neighbouring cells sharing an edge to another circle. Paths cannot repeat or share cells, cross, branch, or pass through another circle.
- Every path must visit one continuous gray segment. Count the non-gray cells before and after it: the two counts must be equal. Unused ordinary and gray cells are allowed.
- A numbered circle gives its distance to the first gray cell, counting the circle itself and excluding gray. Blank circles do not prescribe a count; circles have no fixed partners.
- Tap successive cells or swipe a route. The dot shows its midpoint. A wrong closure stays as an editable draft; backtrack or Clear to repair it. Every circle must be paired to finish.
Controls
| Mouse / touch | Tap successive neighbouring cells or swipe a path |
|---|---|
| Arrows / Space or Enter | Move the cursor / select a cell |
| Delete / Escape | Cancel a draft or remove the focused path / cancel or return |
| Z / Y / R | Undo / Redo / Restart confirmation |
| Controller | D-pad moves; A selects; X clears; Y undoes; shoulders undo/redo; B clears then returns; Start opens settings. |
Tips for Nakaying Rinku
- Count the circle A clue of one reaches gray immediately after its circle. Gray cells are excluded from the count.
- Balance both arms Gray may occupy more than one cell. Count before and after the whole contiguous segment.
- Keep paths separate A rejected crossing preserves your draft and the other completed route.
- Repair safely Selecting an endpoint drafts a replacement while keeping its original path. The replacement takes effect only when valid.
Questions about this game
Must every cell be used?
No. Unused ordinary and gray cells are allowed.
Can the gray segment turn?
Yes. It must remain continuous along the route and centered between the circles.
Do equal numbers identify partners?
No. Pair any circles whose route satisfies their clues. Blank circles have no distance clue.
What does Undo remove?
Undo first cancels an active draft, then undoes a completed path.
Can Replay replace my first time?
No. Replay is Practice; its paths and Undo save without changing the first result.
This edition follows the Intermediate Link rules in Puzzle Communication Nikoli 191. All charts were generated for this edition; no published boards were copied. Reload keeps paths, drafts and Undo; resumed first solves stay local.
Watch how to play
About Nakaying Rinku
Pair all circles with separate paths. Each route passes through a continuous gray segment with equal cell counts on either side; the segment can have several cells and bend.
All 96 original charts are open: twelve 3×4, twenty-four 4×4 and sixty 5×5. Each has one independently verified ending.
