solve

 futoshiki.

Futoshiki puzzles originated in Japan and the word futoshiki (sometimes spelt hutosiki ) means inequality which refers to the fact that the value of some cells are forced to be greater than an adjacent cell and so the chances of it being just any number are unequal compared to other, unforced cells.

Object of the puzzle:-

Each row and each column must have the numbers 1,2,3,4 and 5 (or up to 9 or more for bigger puzzles).

The only help is a few given cell values and the math symbols :-

more than and less than

so, for example, in the solved futoshiki puzzle shown, the figure in the bottom left cell must be less than 2.

As with any puzzle today, there are computer programs that will solve the puzzle for you. But where is the fun in that?

Much better to solve the puzzle yourself using your brain and logic.

To assist you in that end I have produced the following tutorial which solves a typical puzzle in seven easy stages with an explanation of each stage.

There is no particular order to the stages - it is just the sequence I used to solve it. You may see a different way to get the same result.