Cables

What is Cables?

Cables is a logic puzzle of sockets and cables. Pairs of sockets with the same number and colour sit on the board, and you run a cable between the sockets of each pair, along the squares. Cables never cross, and the board is only solved once every square carries a cable.

Every board has at least one answer, and any answer that joins every pair and fills the board counts. Boards come in three sizes, 5 by 5, 7 by 7 and 9 by 9, and a new board, the same for everyone, arrives every day.

How to play

Put your finger on a socket and drag toward its twin; the cable follows the squares you pass.

• The route. A cable only goes up, down, left or right, and never through another pair's socket.
• Cuts. Run one cable over another and the other is cut back to just before the crossing.
• Fixes. Grab a cable by its end or its middle to carry on, drag back over it to shorten it, and tap a socket to lift its cable altogether.
• Score. Your score is the time to solve the board, plus 30 seconds for every hint. Every size has its own leaderboard.

Strategy tips

1. Start at the edges and corners. A socket in a corner has only two ways out, and one on an edge three; their routes show quickly.
2. Join close pairs first. Two sockets a step or two apart are usually joined by the shortest route.
3. Keep long cables along the edges. A cable that skirts the edge leaves the middle free for the others.
4. Leave no pockets. An empty square boxed in by cables, with no socket beside it, can never be filled; move the cables around it.
5. Fill at the end. When every pair is joined and squares are still empty, stretch a nearby cable into a loop that covers them.

FAQ

Is Cables free to play?

Yes. Like every game on Play, it runs free in your browser, with no download and no account needed.

Do I have to fill the whole board?

Yes. The board is only solved when every pair is joined and no square is left empty.

What does a hint do?

It lays one whole cable the way the board's own answer has it, cutting any cable in its way. Each hint adds 30 seconds to your time.

What is the daily board?

Every day everyone gets the same 7 by 7 board, so times compare directly on the leaderboard.

How is my score counted?

Your score is the time from the first look to the last cable laid, plus 30 seconds for every hint. Lower is better.