How to Play

Rules, scoring and strategy for the daily puzzle

Each day, 6 Degrees of Connection gives you two actors: one at the top of the board and one at the bottom. They have never appeared in the same movie. Your goal is to build a chain of movies and co-stars that links them, using six connections or fewer. Both movies and TV shows count.

Making a connection

1. Type a movie or TV show in the Title box and pick it from the list. It has to include one of the actors at the end of your chain, either the top actor, the bottom actor or the last co-star you added.
2. The Actor box then shows its cast. Pick the co-star you want to jump to.
3. Press +. The connection attaches to whichever end of the chain it belongs to.

You can grow the chain from the top, the bottom or both. The puzzle is solved the moment one movie links the two halves together.

The rules

• You have six connections. Use them all without linking the two actors and the day's puzzle is over.
• Each movie or TV show can only be used once per puzzle.
• TV shows count for acting roles. Talk shows, news, reality TV and appearances as themselves don't count.
• Each actor can only be used once per puzzle.
• Invalid moves, like a movie that doesn't include anyone in your chain, are rejected and don't cost you a connection.
• Your progress is saved in your browser, so you can close the tab and come back later the same day.

Scoring

There are no points. Your result is the number of connections you needed and how long it took. Fewer links is better, and a two-link solve is something to brag about. Press Share Results after a win to copy a spoiler-free summary for friends.

Strategy tips

• Go through ensemble movies. Big casts, like heist films, superhero team-ups, war epics and holiday comedies, give you the most co-stars to jump to.
• Look for prolific character actors. Supporting actors who work constantly are often the fastest bridge between two leading stars.
• Work from both ends. If one actor's filmography is hard to crack, start from the other side and meet in the middle.
• Think across decades. An older star's early work often overlaps with actors who later became mentors to a younger generation.
• Don't waste moves. Since every link counts toward your six, think a step ahead before you press +.

When is the next puzzle?

A new pair of actors appears every day at midnight in your local time zone.