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Archive · Patches #21

Patches #21 (October 17, 2026): solution and step-by-step

The 8×8 hard board from Saturday, October 17, 2026. Play it first; the placements and the solved board are folded below. Replays don't affect your streak.

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squaretallwideany shapenumber = that many cells

← #20#22 →

Patches #21 was the 8×8 hard board of Saturday, October 17, 2026: 10 clues (1 square, 4 talls, 3 wides and 2 any-shape), 4 of them with an area number, and 10 rectangles to draw so that every cell is covered exactly once. The patches run from 2 to 12 cells. Our deduction solver, the one behind the hint button, lays them all without guessing in 10 steps: 4 because only one rectangle fits a clue, 6 because some uncovered cell can be reached by only one clue. The tightest clue at the start is the wide 8 at row 1, column 1, with only 1 possible rectangle before anything is placed. A brute-force solver would face 125 branch points on the way to the unique answer.

Patches #21 in numbers

Board8×8, Hard
Clues10 (4 with a number)
Shapes1 square · 4 tall · 3 wide · 2 any
Patch sizes2 to 12 cells
Deduction steps10
“Only one rectangle fits” steps4
“Only one clue reaches this cell” steps6
Brute-force branch points125
How to start Patches #21: the first 10 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. Wide 8 clue at row 1, column 1 → 8×1 patch. Only one patch fits the wide rectangle (8) clue here: 8 wide × 1 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

  2. Any shape clue at row 3, column 1 → 3×4 patch. The outlined cell can only be reached by the any-shape clue — no other clue's patch can stretch to it — so it belongs to that patch. (Fill it in draws the whole patch: 3 wide × 4 tall.)

  3. Any shape clue at row 5, column 6 → 2×5 patch. The outlined cell can only be reached by the any-shape clue — no other clue's patch can stretch to it — so it belongs to that patch. (Fill it in draws the whole patch: 2 wide × 5 tall.)

  4. Tall clue at row 2, column 8 → 2×4 patch. The outlined cell can only be reached by the tall rectangle clue — no other clue's patch can stretch to it — so it belongs to that patch. (Fill it in draws the whole patch: 2 wide × 4 tall.)

  5. Tall 6 clue at row 7, column 8 → 2×3 patch. Only one patch fits the tall rectangle (6) clue here: 2 wide × 3 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

  6. Wide clue at row 6, column 2 → 3×2 patch. The outlined cell can only be reached by the wide rectangle clue — no other clue's patch can stretch to it — so it belongs to that patch. (Fill it in draws the whole patch: 3 wide × 2 tall.)

  7. Tall 4 clue at row 5, column 4 → 1×4 patch. The outlined cell can only be reached by the tall rectangle (4) clue — no other clue's patch can stretch to it — so it belongs to that patch. (Fill it in draws the whole patch: 1 wide × 4 tall.)

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

  9. Square clue at row 7, column 5 → 2×2 patch. The outlined cell can only be reached by the square clue — no other clue's patch can stretch to it — so it belongs to that patch. That fixes the patch: 2×2.

  10. Wide 4 clue at row 8, column 3 → 4×1 patch. Only one patch fits the wide rectangle (4) clue here: 4 wide × 1 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

Patches #21 solution

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

  • wide 8 at row 1, column 1: 8 wide × 1 tall, top-left row 1, column 1
  • any shape at row 3, column 1: 3 wide × 4 tall, top-left row 2, column 1
  • tall at row 2, column 4: 1 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 2, column 4
  • any shape at row 5, column 6: 2 wide × 5 tall, top-left row 2, column 5
  • tall at row 2, column 8: 2 wide × 4 tall, top-left row 2, column 7
  • tall 4 at row 5, column 4: 1 wide × 4 tall, top-left row 4, column 4
  • wide at row 6, column 2: 3 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 6, column 1
  • tall 6 at row 7, column 8: 2 wide × 3 tall, top-left row 6, column 7
  • square at row 7, column 5: 2 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 7, column 5
  • wide 4 at row 8, column 3: 4 wide × 1 tall, top-left row 8, column 1

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