10×10 nonograms

Ten squares a side is the everyday size: the first size where real pictures appear, and a board that stays easy to hold in your head. Pick a difficulty and start.

What changes at 10×10

Ten is the first size with a guide line down the middle, so every line splits into two halves of five. Big clues still open the puzzle, but now you need out of reach and edges push inward to finish it.

Most players settle here. If 5×5 felt like a warm-up, 10×10 is the size where the habit of moving between rows and columns starts.

Techniques that matter. All five techniques come into play here. Overlap opens the board, crosses start to pile up, and gaps too small and edges push inward take over the middle game. The habit to build is the second pass: after you sweep the rows, sweep the columns, because the crosses you just placed are what unlock them. Lookahead only shows up on expert.

Tips for 10×10

1. Start with clues of 6 or more. On a 10-wide line, anything 6+ guarantees overlap squares.
2. Use the middle guide. A run that must cross square 5 or 6 often pins itself to one half.
3. Finish a line, then check its crossings. Every completed row gives ten columns something new.

Expert boards can't be finished with line-by-line reasoning alone. You'll need lookahead (see How to play).