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Archive · Patches #28

Patches #28 (October 24, 2026): solution and step-by-step

The 8×8 hard board from Saturday, October 24, 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

← #27#29 →

Patches #28 was the 8×8 hard board of Saturday, October 24, 2026: 12 clues (4 squares, 1 tall, 4 wides and 3 any-shape), 2 of them with an area number, and 12 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 12 steps: 2 because only one rectangle fits a clue, 10 because some uncovered cell can be reached by only one clue. The tightest clue at the start is the wide 3 at row 8, column 1, with only 1 possible rectangle before anything is placed. A brute-force solver would face 251 branch points on the way to the unique answer.

Patches #28 in numbers

Board8×8, Hard
Clues12 (2 with a number)
Shapes4 square · 1 tall · 4 wide · 3 any
Patch sizes2 to 12 cells
Deduction steps12
“Only one rectangle fits” steps2
“Only one clue reaches this cell” steps10
Brute-force branch points251
How to start Patches #28: 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 3 clue at row 8, column 1 → 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.

  2. Any shape clue at row 4, column 1 → 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.)

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

  4. Wide clue at row 1, column 2 → 2×1 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: 2 wide × 1 tall.)

  5. Tall clue at row 2, column 3 → 2×3 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 × 3 tall.)

  6. Square clue at row 3, column 5 → 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. That fixes the patch: 3×3.

  7. Any shape clue at row 5, column 8 → 1×6 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: 1 wide × 6 tall.)

  8. Square clue at row 4, column 5 → 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. Square clue at row 5, column 3 → 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 7, column 6 → 4×1 patch. The outlined cell can only be reached by the wide rectangle (4) clue — no other clue's patch can stretch to it — so it belongs to that patch. That fixes the patch: 4 wide × 1 tall.

2 more placements finish the board.

Patches #28 solution

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

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

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