Math Cages

Math Cages combines Sudoku-style placement with mental arithmetic. In a grid of size n, each row and column must contain the numbers 1 to n exactly once. Thick outlines divide the grid into cages, each labelled with a target and an operation. The numbers in a cage must produce that target: 12× means they multiply to 12, 3− means the larger minus the smaller is 3.

Every puzzle is generated fresh and checked by a solver to make sure it has exactly one solution.

1. Select a square, then tap a number on the pad (or type it).
2. Each row and column must contain every number once.
3. The numbers in each cage must combine to its target with its operation. Subtraction and division cages always have two squares.
4. A single-square cage simply shows its number.
5. Duplicates are highlighted in red and a finished cage that misses its target is crossed out.

• Fill single-square cages first. They are free numbers.
• List the combinations. On a 6×6 grid, a two-square cage of 11+ can only be 5 and 6.
• Use the row total. Every row of a 6×6 grid adds up to 21, which can pin down a square left over by cages.
• Watch products with large primes. A product containing 5 must include a 5.