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Archive · Patches #22

Patches #22 (October 18, 2026): solution and step-by-step

The 8×8 hard board from Sunday, October 18, 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

← #21#23 →

Patches #22 was the 8×8 hard board of Sunday, October 18, 2026: 9 clues (2 squares, 3 talls, 1 wide and 3 any-shape), 2 of them with an area number, and 9 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 9 steps: 2 because only one rectangle fits a clue, 7 because some uncovered cell can be reached by only one clue. The tightest clue at the start is the tall 8 at row 1, column 4, with only 1 possible rectangle before anything is placed. A brute-force solver would face 179 branch points on the way to the unique answer.

Patches #22 in numbers

Board8×8, Hard
Clues9 (2 with a number)
Shapes2 square · 3 tall · 1 wide · 3 any
Patch sizes2 to 12 cells
Deduction steps9
“Only one rectangle fits” steps2
“Only one clue reaches this cell” steps7
Brute-force branch points179
How to start Patches #22: the first 9 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. Tall 8 clue at row 1, 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.

  2. Tall 2 clue at row 8, column 8 → 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.

  3. Square clue at row 2, column 2 → 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.

  4. Wide clue at row 3, column 5 → 4×3 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. That fixes the patch: 4 wide × 3 tall.

  5. Any shape clue at row 4, column 2 → 2×6 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 × 6 tall.)

  6. Tall clue at row 5, column 4 → 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.)

  7. Any shape clue at row 4, column 8 → 1×3 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: 1 wide × 3 tall.)

  8. Square clue at row 5, column 6 → 3×3 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. (Fill it in draws the whole patch: 3×3.)

  9. Any shape clue at row 7, column 5 → 3×2 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 × 2 tall.)

Patches #22 solution

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

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

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