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Archive · Patches #44

Patches #44 (November 9, 2026): solution and step-by-step

The 6×6 easy board from Monday, November 9, 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

← #43#45 →

Patches #44 was the 6×6 easy board of Monday, November 9, 2026: 6 clues (2 squares, 1 tall and 3 wides), 6 of them with an area number, and 6 rectangles to draw so that every cell is covered exactly once. The patches run from 2 to 10 cells. Our deduction solver, the one behind the hint button, lays them all without guessing in 6 steps: 6 because only one rectangle fits a clue, 0 because some uncovered cell can be reached by only one clue. The tightest clue at the start is the tall 10 at row 1, column 5, with only 1 possible rectangle before anything is placed. A brute-force solver would face 0 branch points on the way to the unique answer.

Patches #44 in numbers

Board6×6, Easy
Clues6 (6 with a number)
Shapes2 square · 1 tall · 3 wide · 0 any
Patch sizes2 to 10 cells
Deduction steps6
“Only one rectangle fits” steps6
“Only one clue reaches this cell” steps0
Brute-force branch points0
How to start Patches #44: the first 6 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 10 clue at row 1, column 5 → 2×5 patch. Only one patch fits the tall rectangle (10) clue here: 2 wide × 5 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

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

  3. Square 4 clue at row 2, column 4 → 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. Square 4 clue at row 2, column 2 → 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.

  5. Wide 8 clue at row 5, column 3 → 4×2 patch. Only one patch fits the wide rectangle (8) clue here: 4 wide × 2 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.

  6. Wide 2 clue at row 6, column 5 → 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.

Patches #44 solution

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

  • square 4 at row 2, column 2: 2 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 1, column 1
  • square 4 at row 2, column 4: 2 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 1, column 3
  • tall 10 at row 1, column 5: 2 wide × 5 tall, top-left row 1, column 5
  • wide 8 at row 4, column 1: 4 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 3, column 1
  • wide 8 at row 5, column 3: 4 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 5, column 1
  • wide 2 at row 6, column 5: 2 wide × 1 tall, top-left row 6, column 5

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