From outline to room

The plan at a glance

Each plan contains 25 squares arranged in five rows and five columns. Lettered columns and numbered rows identify positions such as B2. The three available plans are The Blue Wing, The Long Gallery and The Inner Court.

Select a plan before beginning. Changing plans clears the current rooms and undo history; the previous layout is not saved.

Draw and confirm

Choose an empty square as the first corner. Choose the opposite corner to preview a rectangular room. For a one-square room, select the same square twice. A valid outline enables Place room; that button commits the room to the floor.

An invalid outline explains the problem. Select a square again to begin a different outline. Previewing alone never changes the placed rooms.

Check all three room rules

1. The shape must form a complete rectangle.
2. Exactly one numbered clue must fall inside it.
3. The number of covered squares must equal that clue.

In addition, a new room cannot occupy a square already assigned to another room. Touching edges are allowed.

Revise a decision

Select any square inside an existing room, then choose Remove selected to release its whole area. Undo restores the most recent placement, removal or guided action. Clear this plan removes every room and clears the undo list.

Use a prepared room

Add a guided room inserts one rectangle from a complete prepared solution. Any rooms crossing that rectangle are removed in the same action. Undo reverses the entire change, including those removals.

The guide is assistance, not a rule that your answer must match. The completion check accepts any arrangement satisfying every clue and covering all squares.

Try the first corner

Keyboard and completion

Use the arrow keys to move across the board after tabbing into it. Enter or Space selects a square. The status announces selection and validation. When the coverage reaches 25 valid squares, the palace is complete.