Bridges strategy

Bridges strategy guide

Bridges rewards careful counting. Look at each island's number, count how many neighbors it can still reach, and place forced bridges before trying open-ended lanes.

Play Bridges Read rules

Good first moves

Count capacityIf an island needs as many bridges as its open lanes can hold, those lanes are forced.

Watch 1 islandsA 1 can connect only once. After it is satisfied, every other possible lane from that island is empty.

Use double bridges carefullyA high number with few neighbors often needs a double bridge, especially near edges and corners.

Keep one networkA group of islands should not close itself off while other islands remain outside.

Simple solving flow

For each island, count reachable neighbors and maximum possible bridges.
Place forced bridges where the maximum equals the island's remaining need.
After placing a bridge, reduce the remaining count for both connected islands.
Remove lanes that would overfill a satisfied island.
Check that every island can still join one connected network.

Common mistake

A group of islands can satisfy its numbers and still be wrong if it is cut off from the rest of the board. Keep an eye on global connectivity, not just local counts.