Pearls strategy

Pearls strategy guide

Treat every pearl as a shape promise. White pearls promise a straight pass with a nearby turn; black pearls promise a bend with straight exits. Most progress comes from combining those promises with dot degree.

Play Pearls Read rules

Core patterns

White pearl runIf a white pearl cannot run one direction, it must run the other direction, and one adjacent dot must become a turn.

Black pearl bendOnce a black pearl's bend is chosen, extend one straight segment from both exits immediately.

Edge pressureEdges and corners remove directions, so pearls near the border often decide themselves first.

Dot degreeA used dot needs exactly two line segments. One segment asks for a partner; two segments finish the dot.

A strong solving flow

Mark directions that cannot satisfy edge or corner pearls.
Place forced black bends, then extend their straight exits.
Run white pearls straight when one direction is blocked.
After every segment, close dots that already have two lines and finish dots that have one forced exit.
Keep the loop open until every pearl can join the same final circuit.

Hard-board habits

Read pairsA black pearl aimed toward a white pearl often forces the white pearl's straight direction.

Use markersMark impossible exits early so the remaining two-edge choices become visible at a glance.

Delay closureA small closed loop is wrong unless it already passes through every pearl on the board.

Check both sidesA black pearl is not complete after the bend; both neighboring dots must continue straight.

Common mistake

Do not treat white pearls as simple straight clues. A white pearl also needs a turn next door, so a long straight run with no adjacent turn is just as wrong as turning on the pearl itself.