Free nonogram puzzles
Nonograms are Japanese puzzles with hidden images of people, animals, or geometric shapes. These crossword-like puzzles have many names, including Paint by Numbers, Griddlers, Pic-a-Pix, Picross, Picma, PrismaPixels, Pixel Puzzles, Crucipixel, Edel, FigurePic, Hanjie, HeroGlyphix, Illust-Logic, Japanese Crosswords, Japanese Puzzles, Kare Karala, Logic Art, Logic Square, Logicolor, Logik-Puzzles, Logimage, Oekaki Logic, Oekaki-Mate, Paint Logic, Picture Logic, Tsunamii, Paint by Sudoku, and Binary Coloring Books.
In a rectangular grid, cells must be colored according to numerical clues to form a picture.
Game history
Nonograms appeared in Japan at the end of the last century. The author of the puzzle remains uncertain, although two candidates are known. The first is illustrator and designer Non Ishida (石田 のん), who claims to have used nonograms since 1970 to communicate with animals. Ishida believed that misunderstanding was only due to a lack of communication, so she conducted research and created a system of signs using black and white squares.
In 1987, she participated in the Window Art competition, where she designed a skyscraper using dark and illuminated windows—and won. The following year, three puzzles called Window Art Puzzles were published. Around the same time, the second possible creator of nonograms, Japanese puzzle designer Tetsuya Nishio (西尾 徹也), invented the "Painting by Numbers" puzzle and published it in another magazine.
Initially, these new crosswords did not attract much interest, as puzzle enthusiasts did not know how to solve them. It was only when nonograms were published in the United Kingdom in 1989–1990 and began appearing in each issue of The Telegraph that they gained popularity.
From Europe, they spread worldwide, reached Russia, and eventually returned to Japan. Since then, collections of nonograms have been published in large print runs and continue to be in high demand. Today, Japanese logic puzzles can be found in many newspapers, magazines, and digital formats.
Interesting fact
Originally, Japanese puzzles were only black and white, but now there are also multicolored versions. The maximum size can reach 150×150 squares. Solving a simple nonogram takes just a few minutes, while more complex versions can require dozens of hours.
It has been proven that solving puzzles for at least half an hour daily helps improve intellectual potential. Nonograms cannot be solved without logical and visual thinking. Try Japanese puzzles—they are fun and beneficial!
