How to Play Tents & Trees — Rules & First Moves

The three rules

Pair each tree with one tent. A pair shares a side: above, below, left, or right. Every tree and every tent must be used in exactly one pair.
Give tents space. Two tents may not share an edge or a corner.
Match the numbers. A number beside a row or above a column is the total number of tents in that line.

1♟△×××

Worked example: this row needs one tent. After the tent is placed beside its tree, every other empty square in the row is grass.

Your first reliable moves

Start with a zero

A row marked 0 contains no tents. Mark its empty squares as grass. Do the same for a column marked 0. This often leaves a nearby tree with just one available partner square.

Use a tree with one option

If three sides of a tree are blocked by the board edge, another tree, or confirmed grass, the remaining square must hold a tent. After placing it, mark its surrounding empty squares as grass, including the diagonals.

Finish a row

Suppose a row needs 2 tents and you have already placed both. Every other empty square in that row is grass. A full column works the same way.

Worked deduction: a row needs 1 tent. Once that tent is placed, every other empty square in the row is grass. If that removes the last alternative beside a tree in the next row, you have found another tent.

A subtle pairing rule

A tent can sit next to more than one tree. That alone does not make it wrong. The completed board must allow a one-to-one pairing that uses every tree and tent exactly once. Don’t reject a square only because it touches two trees.

Controls and hints

Choose a mode, then tap a square to apply it. Cycle moves through tent, grass, and clear. Use arrow keys to move, T for a tent, G for grass, and Delete to clear. Undo reverses a mark. Check compares your current marks with the unique solution. Hints first look for simple deductions and explicitly say when they reveal a square.

Try a smaller clearing

The 6 × 6 board is a compact place to learn. The 8 × 8 option gives the same rules more room. Board size is a choice of scale, not a promise that every smaller puzzle is easier.

How to play Tents & Trees.