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Archive · Patches #29

Patches #29 (October 25, 2026): solution and step-by-step

The 8×8 hard board from Sunday, October 25, 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

← #28Today's puzzle →

Patches #29 was the 8×8 hard board of Sunday, October 25, 2026: 11 clues (4 squares, 2 talls, 1 wide and 4 any-shape), 3 of them with an area number, and 11 rectangles to draw so that every cell is covered exactly once. The patches run from 1 to 18 cells. Our deduction solver, the one behind the hint button, lays them all without guessing in 11 steps: 3 because only one rectangle fits a clue, 8 because some uncovered cell can be reached by only one clue. The tightest clue at the start is the square at row 4, column 5, with only 1 possible rectangle before anything is placed. A brute-force solver would face 85 branch points on the way to the unique answer.

Patches #29 in numbers

Board8×8, Hard
Clues11 (3 with a number)
Shapes4 square · 2 tall · 1 wide · 4 any
Patch sizes1 to 18 cells
Deduction steps11
“Only one rectangle fits” steps3
“Only one clue reaches this cell” steps8
Brute-force branch points85
How to start Patches #29: 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. Square clue at row 4, column 5 → 1×1 patch. Only one patch fits the square clue here: 1×1. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

  2. Any shape clue at row 4, column 2 → 3×6 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: 3 wide × 6 tall.)

  3. Square 4 clue at row 7, column 1 → 2×2 patch. Only one patch fits the square (4) clue here: 2×2. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

  4. Tall clue at row 3, column 5 → 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. That fixes the patch: 2 wide × 3 tall.

  5. Square clue at row 1, column 7 → 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.

  6. Any shape clue at row 3, column 8 → 1×8 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 × 8 tall.)

  7. Any shape clue at row 4, column 7 → 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.)

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

  9. Any shape clue at row 5, column 5 → 1×4 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: 1 wide × 4 tall.)

  10. Wide 2 clue at row 8, column 6 → 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.

1 more placements finish the board.

Patches #29 solution

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

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

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