How do you solve a Binary puzzle?

Start by looking for cells forced by the 'no three in a row' rule — if two adjacent cells share the same digit, the cells on either side must be the opposite digit. Next, count digits in rows and columns that are nearly full to determine which digit goes where. Finally, compare nearly-complete rows and columns to ensure uniqueness.

What grid sizes are available?

Five sizes: 6×6, 8×8, 10×10, 12×12, and 14×14. Smaller grids are quick and beginner-friendly, while larger grids demand more advanced logic techniques.

What difficulty levels are there?

Three levels: Easy (many given cells, solvable with simple deduction), Medium (fewer givens, requires counting and pair logic), and Hard (minimal givens, uniqueness comparisons needed). All puzzles have exactly one solution.

Is Binary the same as Takuzu?

Yes. The puzzle goes by many names — Binary, Takuzu, Binairo, Tohu Wa Vohu, Unruly, and Tic-Tac-Logic. The rules are identical regardless of the name.

Play Binary (Takuzu) Online

Q: What is Binary (Takuzu)?

Binary, also known as Takuzu, Binairo, or Tic-Tac-Logic, is a logic puzzle played on an even-sized grid. The goal is to fill every cell with a 0 or 1 while obeying three rules: no more than two consecutive identical digits in any row or column, each row and column must contain an equal number of 0s and 1s, and no two rows or two columns may be identical.

Fill every cell with a 0 or 1. No three in a row, equal counts per line, and every row & column must be unique. Five grid sizes and three difficulty levels.

Filled

0 / 0

Errors

Time

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Click a cell to place 0 or 1

What Is Binary (Takuzu)?

Binary, also known as Takuzu, Binairo, Unruly, or Tic-Tac-Logic, is a pure-logic number-placement puzzle. You are given a square grid of even size with some cells pre-filled with 0 or 1. Your job is to complete the grid so that three simple rules are satisfied simultaneously.

The puzzle was popularised in the 2000s by puzzle magazines in the Netherlands and France and has since appeared in newspapers, mobile apps, and puzzle books worldwide. Its three elegant rules make it easy to learn yet surprisingly challenging on larger grids like 12×12 and 14×14.

Rules of Binary (Takuzu)

No three in a row: No more than two consecutive 0s or two consecutive 1s may appear in any row or column.
Equal counts: Each row and each column must contain exactly the same number of 0s and 1s (half and half).
Unique lines: No two rows may be identical, and no two columns may be identical.

How to Solve Binary — Strategy Tips

1. Avoid Triples

The most basic deduction: if you see two adjacent cells with the same digit (e.g. 1 1), the cells immediately before and after that pair must be the opposite digit (0). Similarly, if a cell is between two identical digits (0 _ 0), the middle cell must be 1.

2. Count Digits

Each row and column in an N×N grid must contain exactly N/2 zeros and N/2 ones. When a row already has its full quota of one digit, every remaining empty cell must be the other digit.

3. Compare Lines

Because all rows must be unique and all columns must be unique, once a line is nearly complete you can compare it against other completed lines. If two lines share the same pattern except for two empty cells, you can deduce which digit goes where to avoid duplication.

4. Use Elimination

When simple tactics stall, pick a cell and mentally try placing a digit. If that choice leads to a triple or exceeds the count in any direction, the other digit must be correct. On harder puzzles this elimination logic is essential.

Grid Sizes

6×6: Quick warm-up. Great for learning the rules — most cells can be deduced with the no-triple rule alone.
8×8: A step up. Counting digits becomes more important, and you’ll start needing the uniqueness rule occasionally.
10×10: Intermediate. Multiple techniques are needed, and puzzles take 5–10 minutes.
12×12: Challenging. Requires careful counting, line comparisons, and sometimes trial elimination.
14×14: Expert-level. Dense grids that demand all techniques and significant patience.

Difficulty Levels

Easy: Many given cells. Most deductions flow directly from the no-triple rule. Ideal for beginners.
Medium: Fewer givens. You will need digit counting and occasional uniqueness checks to solve the puzzle.
Hard: Minimal givens. All three rules plus elimination are required. Puzzles have exactly one solution.

Binary (Takuzu) vs Similar Puzzles

vs Sudoku: Both are grid-filling logic puzzles, but Sudoku uses digits 1–9 in 3×3 boxes while Binary uses only 0 and 1 with consecutive-count and uniqueness rules.
vs Nonograms: Nonograms reveal a picture; Binary is purely numerical. Both use row/column constraint logic.
vs Futoshiki: Futoshiki uses inequalities between neighbours. Binary uses the no-triple constraint instead. Both enforce unique-per-line properties (in a sense).

Frequently Asked Questions

A logic puzzle on an even-sized grid. Fill every cell with 0 or 1 so that no three consecutive identical digits appear, each row and column has equal counts, and all rows and columns are unique.

Look for pairs of adjacent identical digits and fill the opposite digit on either side. Count digits approaching half-capacity. Compare nearly-complete rows and columns for uniqueness. On hard puzzles, trial-and-error elimination may be needed.

Five sizes: 6×6, 8×8, 10×10, 12×12, and 14×14. All grids are square and even-sized (required by the equal-counts rule).

Yes. Every puzzle generated here has exactly one valid solution, verified by a backtracking solver before the puzzle is presented.

Yes. Binary, Takuzu, Binairo, Unruly, and Tic-Tac-Logic are all names for the same puzzle type with identical rules.

More Logic Puzzles

Enjoy Binary? Try these other free puzzles:

Sudoku

The classic 9×9 number-placement puzzle.

Futoshiki

Fill the grid using inequality clues between neighbours.