Solving the Lights Out Game with the Chasing the Lights Method

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Chase the Lights to solve each puzzle quickly (and in the fewest moves!)
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Are you playing Lights Out and finding yourself stumped, pressing the same cells on and off, over and over again, to no avail? We’ll let you in on a little secret: every puzzle is solvable. In fact, there’s a super simple and easy way to solve the game that works every time! In this article, we’ll tell you how to solve the Lights Out puzzle with the Chasing the Lights method, and how to use it to win with the fewest moves.

Things You Should Know

  • Starting on the first row, turn off each light by clicking the cell below it. Follow this pattern for each row until you are left with only cells lit on the fifth row.
  • Click the cells on the first row that correspond to the pattern left on the fifth row. Chase the lights down again to solve the puzzle.
  • To make fewer moves, first identify the final row configuration you’ll be left with. Press the corresponding cells on the first row and chase the lights.
Section 1 of 3:

Chasing the Lights Method

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  1. Chasing the Lights works for each puzzle grid type (meaning, it works for 3x3s, 5x5s, and 9x9s). Look for all the lights that are on on the first row. Then, press the cell on the second row that is below the lit cell on the first row. This turns off every light on the first row. [1]
  2. Find the lights that are now turned on on the second row, and click the corresponding cell below on the third row. Continue to chase the lights for the third and fourth rows. [2]
    • After chasing the lights, the only lit cells are now on the fifth and final row.
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  3. To solve the puzzle, you need to turn some lights back on. The cells you turn back on on the first row depend on which cells are lit on the fifth row. Use the guide below to determine which cells on the first row you need to turn on: [3]
    • If the first, second, and third lights are on, click the second cell on the first row.
    • If the first, second, fourth, and fifth lights are on, click the third cell on the first row.
    • If the first, third, and fourth lights are on, click the fifth cell on the first row.
    • If the first and fifth lights are on, click the first and second cells on the first row.
    • If the second, third, and fifth lights are on, click the first cell on the first row.
    • If the second and fourth lights are on, click the first and fourth cells on the first row.
    • If the third, fourth, and fifth lights are on, click the fourth cell on the first row.
  4. Now that lights are back on on the first row, click the corresponding cell below each light on the second row. Continue to turn off the lights on each row until all the lights are out! [4]
    • For 9x9 grids: Chasing the lights down a second time will solve the puzzle or leave you with every odd numbered cell turned on. To solve this situation, click the top left cell in the first row and chase the lights down again. [5]
    • The Chasing the Lights method won’t solve the puzzle in the fewest moves. When you play using this method, you will probably click some cells multiple times.
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Section 2 of 3:

Solving in the Fewest Moves

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  1. Start by chasing the lights (as described in the previous section) to see which final row configuration you're left with. Then, restart the puzzle so that it’s back to its original configuration. In the third step of the first section, we describe the correct first-row buttons that correspond with any puzzle's final configuration. Now that you know the final configuration, use this to click the correct cells in the first row. [6]
    • Simply chase the lights down once to solve the puzzle!
    • For example, you might have a puzzle where you chase the lights down and are left with the first and fifth lights lit on the fifth row. This means that when you reset the puzzle to its original configuration, you will click the second cell on the first row. Simply chase the lights down once to turn off all the lights.
Section 3 of 3:

General Play Rules

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  1. Lights Out is a logic puzzle game where you are given a grid of cells – usually the grid is a 5x5 square. Some cells on the grid are turned off, while others are turned on. All you need to do is turn off every light to solve the puzzle. [7]
    • There are also 3x3 and 9x9 grid variations.
  2. When you click a lit cell, that turns it off. However, turning that cell off also changes the on/off state of the 4 cells surrounding it. You want to turn off all the lights in the grid without pressing the same cells more than once. [8]
    • For instance, if you press a cell that is lit on the second row, that turns the cell off. However, that will change the state of the cells beside it, above it, and below it.
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      References

      1. ↑ http://cau.ac.kr/~mhhgtx/courses/LinearAlgebra/references/MadsenLightsOut.pdf
      2. ↑ http://cau.ac.kr/~mhhgtx/courses/LinearAlgebra/references/MadsenLightsOut.pdf
      3. ↑ https://help.gnome.org/users/lightsoff/stable/strategy.html.en
      4. ↑ https://help.gnome.org/users/lightsoff/stable/strategy.html.en
      5. ↑ https://www.logicgamesonline.com/lightsout/tutorial.html
      6. ↑ https://www.jaapsch.net/puzzles/lights.htm#solution
      7. ↑ https://www.logicgamesonline.com/lightsout/tutorial.html
      8. ↑ https://www.logicgamesonline.com/lightsout/tutorial.html

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