How Couples Puzzles Work

Overview

A Couples grid is divided into bold-outlined regions. Your job is to place two markers — by default the letters A and B — so that each region ends up with exactly one A and one B, and no two of the same marker ever touch. Every puzzle has exactly one solution, and you can always reach it by logic alone.

The Goal

Fill the grid so that:

• Every region holds exactly one A and exactly one B. All the other cells in that region stay blank.
• The markers placed satisfy the touching rule below.

A region is a group of cells fenced off by the thick bold lines. Big or small, every region needs one of each marker and no more.

The Rules

1. One of each per region. Each bold-outlined region contains exactly one A and exactly one B. Every remaining cell in the region is blank.
2. Matching markers never touch. Two A’s may not sit in neighbouring cells, and neither may two B’s — and “neighbouring” includes the diagonals. A marker blocks its eight surrounding cells from holding the same marker.
3. Different markers may touch. An A and a B are free to sit side by side or corner to corner. The touching rule only forbids two of the same marker.
4. Givens are fixed. Some cells start already filled. Those markers are part of the solution and never move.

That is the whole rule set — there is nothing to count and no arithmetic. The challenge comes from how the “one of each per region” requirement and the no-touching rule interact across neighbouring regions.

How to Start Solving

1. Start with the smallest regions. A region of just two cells is the easiest win: one cell must be A and the other B, so the only question is which way round — and the no-touching rule against nearby markers usually settles that immediately.
2. Use the no-touching rule to rule things out. If a cell sits next to an A (in any of the eight directions), that cell cannot be A. Mark it as “not A”. Do the same for B. Cells with only one option left are forced.
3. Use the one-per-region count. Within a region, if every cell but one has been ruled out for a marker, the remaining cell must be that marker.
4. Let placements cascade. Each marker you place blocks its eight neighbours from the same marker — and those new “not A” / “not B” notes often force the next region. Keep following the chain.
5. Look across region borders for the hard steps. On harder puzzles, you sometimes can’t place a marker yet but can prove where it can’t go: if the only cells in a region that could hold A all sit next to one particular cell in the neighbouring region, that neighbouring cell can’t be A either. These “locked” deductions crack the toughest boards.
6. No guessing — ever. Every Couples puzzle is built to be solved by pure logic, so if you are reaching for trial-and-error, there is a deduction you have missed. Back up and look again.

Difficulty

Every Couples puzzle has exactly one solution and is solvable without guessing; the difficulty setting controls how deep the deductions go.

• Easy — most placements come straight from the no-touching rule and small regions.
• Medium — you will chain placements from one region into the next.
• Hard — expect the cross-region “locked” deductions described in step 5.

A Note on Appearance

The markers are A and B by default, but they are just two distinct tokens — a Couples book can show them as two colours, two shapes (like the circles and triangles the puzzle started as), two numbers, or your own pictures. The look never changes the rules. See How to Use Content Variation in Puzzle Maker Pro.

Outcome

You now understand the goal, the rules, and the first solving moves for Couples. Ready to make your own? See How to Create Couples Puzzles in Puzzle Maker Pro.

Further Reading

• How to Create Couples Puzzles in Puzzle Maker Pro
• How to Use Content Variation in Puzzle Maker Pro
• Puzzle Book Studio Tutorials