Gallery Guard

How to play

Place guards on open cells. A guard sees along its row and column until a wall. Every open cell must be seen, no two guards may see each other, and a numbered wall needs exactly that many guards beside it.

Tap a cell to cycle empty, guard, then a no-guard mark. Nothing is marked wrong while you play. Check stripes the wrong cells and counts them. You get 3 hints; any hint rules out gold and silver. Give up shows the guards and completes the day with no medal.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Gallery Guard?

The grid has open cells and black walls. Some walls show a number. Tap an open cell to place a guard, tap again to mark that no guard goes there, and tap once more to clear it. A guard sees every open cell in its row and column until a wall blocks the view. Every open cell must be seen, no two guards may see each other, and a numbered wall must have exactly that many guards in the cells directly beside it.

How are mistakes counted?

Nothing is marked while you place guards. When you press Check, cells that disagree with the solution get a stripe, and each new wrong cell counts as one mistake. Gold needs no mistakes and no hint, silver allows up to two mistakes and no hint, and bronze is any solve.

Can I get hints?

Yes, three per puzzle. A hint places one guard or one no-guard mark and explains in one sentence why that cell has to be that way. Using a hint rules out gold and silver. Give up shows every guard and completes the day with no medal.

Is every puzzle solvable without guessing?

Monday to Saturday can be finished by deduction alone. Sunday may need you to try one cell: if that choice breaks a rule, the other choice is forced. Every puzzle has exactly one solution.

Is today's puzzle the same for everyone?

Yes. Gallery Guard is generated from the calendar date (US Eastern), so everyone gets the same puzzle. Open a past day with ?d=YYYY-MM-DD. Monday and Tuesday are 5×5, Wednesday and Thursday 6×6, Friday and Saturday 7×7, and Sunday 8×8.