Printable kakuro
Kakuro grids in PDF, from a small 6 × 6 to learn the rule to a 10 × 10 for regulars. Kakuro, also known as cross sums, looks like a crossword where the words are replaced by additions: every run of white cells must reach the stated sum without ever repeating a digit. Every grid has a single solution, found by deduction; the solutions are on the last pages.
How it works
Pick the size and the difficulty
The size counts the row and the column that hold the sums: a 6 × 6 grid is filled on 5 × 5 cells. Difficulty does not depend on size: it tells which reasoning the grid asks for, from simply crossing two sums to studying a whole run.
Set up the booklet
Choose the number of grids, A4 or Letter paper, and whether solutions are added. The preview shows the first grid; the “Another set” button offers new ones. The 6 × 6 and 8 × 8 grids fit four to a page, the 10 × 10 grids two to a page.
Print and play
In a grey cell, the number above the diagonal is the sum of the run to its right, the number below it the sum of the run going down. Start with sums that can be made in only one way: 3 in two cells must be 1 and 2; 17 in two cells, 8 and 9.
Printing tips
Choose “Actual size” or “100%” in the print dialog, not “Fit to page”: cells stay at least 9 mm wide, enough to write a digit and pencil two or three candidates in a corner. Black and white is enough: the sum cells are light grey to save ink, and the sums stay solid black. Use a pencil and an eraser, since you often note several possible digits before deciding. The solutions are grouped four to a page at the end: for a class or a club, print them on a separate sheet and keep it.
Frequently asked questions
What are the rules of kakuro?
Every white cell takes a digit from 1 to 9. A run is a group of white cells in a row or a column, bounded by grey cells or by the edge of the grid. Its digits must add up to the number written in the grey cell where it starts, and a digit never appears twice in the same run. A digit may, however, come back in the same row if it sits in another run.
How do I read a cell split by a diagonal?
It carries up to two sums. The number in the top right is for the white cells to its right; the number in the bottom left is for the white cells below it. A grey cell with no number only separates the runs.
Where do I start a grid?
With the sums that can be made in only one way. In two cells: 3 (1 + 2), 4 (1 + 3), 16 (7 + 9) and 17 (8 + 9). In three cells: 6 (1 + 2 + 3), 7 (1 + 2 + 4), 23 (6 + 8 + 9) and 24 (7 + 8 + 9). When two such runs cross, the shared cell can only hold a digit found in both combinations.
What is the difference between easy, medium and hard?
Not the number of cells but the reasoning required. On easy, crossing the combinations of a cell's two sums is always enough. On medium, you also drop the combinations that the neighbouring cells have made impossible. On hard, you work out what is left to reach in a run and check that the other cells can supply it.
Does each grid have a single solution?
Yes. Every grid is checked by a solver before layout: exactly one solution exists, and it is found without ever guessing. If you get stuck, look again at the shortest runs: a deduction has probably slipped past you.
Can I use them in class or in a club?
Yes, freely, including printing them in quantity: kakuro is good practice for mental arithmetic and for splitting numbers into sums. Only reselling the files is not allowed. Your settings are kept on your device only; nothing is sent to a server.