Pipe Connect Game
Pipe connect is a pairing decision. Each color has exactly two ends. The question on every move is which pair to join now, and which pair must wait because it still needs a corridor that is open.
This board is 10×10, with 12 to 16 colors. That is past the point where you can connect at random and repair it later. The order below is the one this size is for.
10x10-0001
10×10 · 15 colors · difficulty 2★
10×10 pipe connect levels
15 colors · ★★
15 colors · ★★★
16 colors · ★★★★
14 colors · ★★★
15 colors · ★★★
15 colors · ★★★★★
16 colors · ★★★★★
16 colors · ★★
13 colors · ★
16 colors · ★★★★★
15 colors · ★
15 colors · ★★
15 colors · ★★★
13 colors · ★
15 colors · ★
14 colors · ★★★
15 colors · ★
14 colors · ★
16 colors · ★★★
15 colors · ★★
15 colors · ★★★★
15 colors · ★★★★
15 colors · ★★★★
13 colors · ★
14 colors · ★
16 colors · ★★★★
13 colors · ★
15 colors · ★★
13 colors · ★
14 colors · ★
Pipe connect rules
- Connect each pair of same-colored dots with a line.
- The level is clear once every pair is connected. Empty cells can stay empty.
- Lines cannot cross.
A color is matched when its path runs from one end to the other. Matching every color clears the level. Cells that no remaining pair needs can stay empty. Two colors cannot claim the same cell.
A longer path does not score more. Extra loops add moves, and they are how a 10×10 board loses its last corridor. Stars look at how many moves you used and how long the level was open. A direct match is the better result.
Which color to connect first
- Join any color whose two ends are already neighbors. That is one move and one less color to track.
- Next, connect a pair that has only one obvious gap of empty cells. A pair with room on every side can wait.
- Keep the path away from the ends of an unfinished color when you have a choice.
- Stop extending a color once its two ends are joined.
If two colors both need the same cell, one of them has to take a longer way around, or you have to undo the path that got there first. Retract to the last cell where a second exit still exists. Hint, if you use it, shows the next three cells of one working order. It is a nudge, not a reason to ignore a pair that is about to be sealed in.
Pipe connect questions
- Which color should I connect first?
- The one whose ends already touch, or the one that has only a single free corridor. Pairs with several ways around the board can wait.
- What if two colors need the same cell?
- They cannot share it. Undo or retract the path that took the cell, and send one color around the outside of the other.
- Does a longer path score more?
- No. The level is clear when the pairs are matched. Fewer moves and less time earn more stars. A detour only helps when it keeps another pair's route open.
- How is this different from the 5×5 boards?
- The rules are the same. A 5×5 board has 3 or 4 colors, so order barely matters. A 10×10 board has 12 to 16, so the early short matches are what keep the later ones possible.