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Archive · Patches #16

Patches #16 (October 12, 2026): solution and step-by-step

The 6×6 easy board from Monday, October 12, 2026. Play it first; the placements and the solved board are folded below. Replays don't affect your streak.

— 0:00TIMER

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squaretallwideany shapenumber = that many cells

← #15#17 →

Patches #16 was the 6×6 easy board of Monday, October 12, 2026: 8 clues (1 square, 5 talls and 2 wides), 8 of them with an area number, and 8 rectangles to draw so that every cell is covered exactly once. The patches run from 2 to 9 cells. Our deduction solver, the one behind the hint button, lays them all without guessing in 8 steps: 8 because only one rectangle fits a clue, 0 because some uncovered cell can be reached by only one clue. The tightest clue at the start is the square 9 at row 1, column 3, with only 1 possible rectangle before anything is placed. A brute-force solver would face 0 branch points on the way to the unique answer.

Patches #16 in numbers

Board6×6, Easy
Clues8 (8 with a number)
Shapes1 square · 5 tall · 2 wide · 0 any
Patch sizes2 to 9 cells
Deduction steps8
“Only one rectangle fits” steps8
“Only one clue reaches this cell” steps0
Brute-force branch points0
How to start Patches #16: the first 8 patches

Each placement is what the hint button would say at that point, from the empty board. Rows and columns are counted from the top-left corner.

  1. Square 9 clue at row 1, column 3 → 3×3 patch. Only one patch fits the square (9) clue here: 3×3. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

  2. Tall 8 clue at row 3, column 4 → 2×4 patch. Only one patch fits the tall rectangle (8) clue here: 2 wide × 4 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

  3. Tall 6 clue at row 2, column 6 → 1×6 patch. Only one patch fits the tall rectangle (6) clue here: 1 wide × 6 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

  4. Tall 3 clue at row 4, column 1 → 1×3 patch. Only one patch fits the tall rectangle (3) clue here: 1 wide × 3 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

  5. Tall 3 clue at row 4, column 2 → 1×3 patch. Only one patch fits the tall rectangle (3) clue here: 1 wide × 3 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

  6. Wide 2 clue at row 5, column 4 → 2×1 patch. Only one patch fits the wide rectangle (2) clue here: 2 wide × 1 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

  7. Wide 3 clue at row 6, column 5 → 3×1 patch. Only one patch fits the wide rectangle (3) clue here: 3 wide × 1 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

  8. Tall 2 clue at row 5, column 3 → 1×2 patch. Only one patch fits the tall rectangle (2) clue here: 1 wide × 2 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

Patches #16 solution

Each colour is one patch; the clue cell shows its shape (■ square, ▮ tall, ▬ wide, ✦ any) and area.

  • square 9 at row 1, column 3: 3 wide × 3 tall, top-left row 1, column 1
  • tall 8 at row 3, column 4: 2 wide × 4 tall, top-left row 1, column 4
  • tall 6 at row 2, column 6: 1 wide × 6 tall, top-left row 1, column 6
  • tall 3 at row 4, column 1: 1 wide × 3 tall, top-left row 4, column 1
  • tall 3 at row 4, column 2: 1 wide × 3 tall, top-left row 4, column 2
  • tall 2 at row 5, column 3: 1 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 4, column 3
  • wide 2 at row 5, column 4: 2 wide × 1 tall, top-left row 5, column 4
  • wide 3 at row 6, column 5: 3 wide × 1 tall, top-left row 6, column 3

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