Play Binary puzzle (Unruly) online Works — plays right here, unlimited puzzles
Guide updated October 2026 · Runs via WebAssembly (native port)
Unruly is a binary logic puzzle: every square on the grid ends up either black or white. Each row and each column must have equal numbers of both colours, and no three squares in a line may be the same colour. A few squares are given and the rest follow by deduction. The puzzle is ready below; the default is a small 8x8 grid.
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse / touch |
|---|---|---|
| Make a square black (keep pressing to cycle) | Enter | Left-click |
| Make a square white (keep pressing to cycle) | Space | Right-click |
| Clear a square | Backspace | Middle-click |
| Move the cursor | Arrow keys | - |
| Undo / redo | U or Ctrl+Z / R or Ctrl+R | Game menu |
FREE This is the complete game, free. Open source under the MIT licence: the complete puzzle, with a new grid every time.
Unruly is from Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection, © Simon Tatham and contributors, used under the MIT licence. Built from source by scripts/build-puzzles.mjs.
How to play
- Colour every square black or white.
- Every row and every column holds the same number of black and white squares.
- No row or column may contain three squares of the same colour in a row.
- With the optional 'unique rows and columns' setting, no two rows may be identical, and no two columns may be identical.
Sizes and difficulty
The Type menu offers 8x8 at Trivial, Easy and Normal, and 10x10 and 14x14 at Easy and Normal. Custom lets you set the size (both sides must be even) and turn on unique rows and columns, the extra rule used by many printed versions of this puzzle.
Solving tips
Two same-coloured squares side by side must be capped by the other colour at both ends. A gap between two same-coloured squares must be the other colour. Once a row has its full quota of one colour, every remaining square in it is the other colour. Count as you go: on a 10-wide grid each row needs exactly five of each.
Where this puzzle comes from
Unruly is part of Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection, a set of about forty logic puzzles written by Simon Tatham and contributors and released under the MIT licence. Every grid is generated on the spot, so the supply never runs out, and for the grid-logic puzzles the generator makes sure each has exactly one solution, reachable by reasoning rather than guessing. The version here is the collection's own code compiled to WebAssembly; the Game menu can save a puzzle to a file and load it again, and the Type menu changes the size and difficulty.
Frequently asked questions
Is Unruly the same as Takuzu or Binairo?
It is the same family of puzzle, also known as Tohu wa Vohu, Takuzu, Binairo or 0h h1. Those versions often add the rule that no two rows or columns are identical; you can switch that on in Custom.
Why must the grid size be even?
Each row and column needs equal numbers of black and white squares, which is impossible with an odd number of squares.
Is Unruly free to play here?
Yes, with no limit on the number of puzzles. Unruly is open-source software under the MIT licence, and every grid is generated fresh when you press New game.
Does it work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. A tap works as a click and the puzzle resizes to fit the screen. Puzzles whose controls use the right mouse button are easier with a mouse.
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