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Archive · Patches #36

Patches #36 (November 1, 2026): solution and step-by-step

The 8×8 hard board from Sunday, November 1, 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

← #35Today's puzzle →

Patches #36 was the 8×8 hard board of Sunday, November 1, 2026: 10 clues (2 squares, 3 talls, 1 wide and 4 any-shape), 3 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 18 cells. Our deduction solver, the one behind the hint button, lays them all without guessing in 10 steps: 1 because only one rectangle fits a clue, 9 because some uncovered cell can be reached by only one clue. The tightest clue at the start is the tall 18 at row 3, column 6, with only 1 possible rectangle before anything is placed. A brute-force solver would face 102 branch points on the way to the unique answer.

Patches #36 in numbers

Board8×8, Hard
Clues10 (3 with a number)
Shapes2 square · 3 tall · 1 wide · 4 any
Patch sizes2 to 18 cells
Deduction steps10
“Only one rectangle fits” steps1
“Only one clue reaches this cell” steps9
Brute-force branch points102
How to start Patches #36: 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. Tall 18 clue at row 3, column 6 → 3×6 patch. Only one patch fits the tall rectangle (18) clue here: 3 wide × 6 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

  2. Tall 4 clue at row 3, column 5 → 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. That fixes the patch: 1 wide × 4 tall.

  3. Any shape clue at row 1, column 4 → 5×2 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: 5 wide × 2 tall.)

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

  5. Any shape clue at row 5, column 1 → 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.)

  6. Tall 2 clue at row 6, column 4 → 1×2 patch. The outlined cell can only be reached by the tall rectangle (2) clue — no other clue's patch can stretch to it — so it belongs to that patch. That fixes the patch: 1 wide × 2 tall.

  7. Wide clue at row 7, column 6 → 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.)

  8. Any shape clue at row 8, column 1 → 1×2 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. That fixes the patch: 1 wide × 2 tall.

  9. Square clue at row 8, 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.

  10. Square clue at row 8, 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.

Patches #36 solution

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

  • any shape at row 1, column 4: 5 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 1, column 1
  • tall 18 at row 3, column 6: 3 wide × 6 tall, top-left row 1, column 6
  • any shape at row 3, column 2: 4 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 3, column 1
  • tall 4 at row 3, column 5: 1 wide × 4 tall, top-left row 3, column 5
  • any shape at row 5, column 1: 3 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 5, column 1
  • tall 2 at row 6, column 4: 1 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 5, column 4
  • any shape at row 8, column 1: 1 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 7, column 1
  • square at row 8, column 2: 2 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 7, column 2
  • wide at row 7, column 6: 3 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 7, column 4
  • square at row 8, column 7: 2 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 7, column 7

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