Hashi!!!

Well this word doesn't really seem to ring bells when I mention it to others though it seems to be ruling my life right now!

When I mentioned this word to people around me, I got some really funny responses. Sample some of them, go ahead!

- "Oooh is that Shilpa's new perfume!?!"

- "Hmmm.....I have heard of sushi."

- "Forget hashi!!! Let's talk about Hashmi(Emraan)!!!"

Yes, I have nothing better to do than chat about random stuff like vinegared rice and the likes. Sheesh, talk about the torture.

Anyway, hashi or hashiwokakero is an extremely addictive logic puzzle which originates from, well you should have guessed by now, Japan.

You are faced with a large group of islands and there is a number written on each island which is an indication of how many bridges can originate from that island. You can connect the islands only horizontally or vertically, no diagonal connections allowed. There can be a maximum of two bridges built from a particular island. And none of the bridges can cross or overlap with each other. Sounds pretty simple right!?! Nah, life isn't that simple. At the end of the puzzle, you need to make sure that you can reach any island from any other island. And, no island or group of islands can be left isolated.

I'll tell you one thing about it: IT'S ADDICTIVE. Do some puzzles right now, thank me later for introducing you to it ;-)

www.mathsnet.net/puzzles/hashi/index.html