Patches #46 Solution (November 11, 2026): Step-by-Step Placements and Answer

Patches #46 was the 7×7 medium board of Wednesday, November 11, 2026: 9 clues (4 squares, 2 talls and 3 wides), 5 of them with an area number, and 9 rectangles to draw so that every cell is covered exactly once. The patches run from 1 to 12 cells. Our deduction solver, the one behind the hint button, lays them all without guessing in 9 steps: 5 because only one rectangle fits a clue, 4 because some uncovered cell can be reached by only one clue. The tightest clue at the start is the square 1 at row 7, column 7, with only 1 possible rectangle before anything is placed. A brute-force solver would face 8 branch points on the way to the unique answer.

Patches #46 in numbers

Board	7×7, Medium
Clues	9 (5 with a number)
Shapes	4 square · 2 tall · 3 wide · 0 any
Patch sizes	1 to 12 cells
Deduction steps	9
“Only one rectangle fits” steps	5
“Only one clue reaches this cell” steps	4
Brute-force branch points	8

How to start Patches #46: 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.

Square 1 clue at row 7, column 7 → 1×1 patch. Only one patch fits the square (1) clue here: 1×1. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.
Square clue at row 2, column 2 → 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.)
Wide clue at row 2, column 7 → 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. (Fill it in draws the whole patch: 4 wide × 3 tall.)
Square 9 clue at row 4, column 6 → 3×3 patch. Only one patch fits the square (9) clue here: 3×3. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.
Tall 3 clue at row 5, column 7 → 1×3 patch. Only one patch fits the tall rectangle (3) clue here: 1 wide × 3 tall. Every other rectangle would cross another clue, a placed patch or the edge.
Wide clue at row 4, column 2 → 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.)
Tall 2 clue at row 6, column 3 → 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.
Wide 3 clue at row 7, column 4 → 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.
Square clue at row 6, column 1 → 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 #46 solution

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

■▬▬■9▮3■▮2▬3■1

square at row 2, column 2: 3 wide × 3 tall, top-left row 1, column 1
wide at row 2, column 7: 4 wide × 3 tall, top-left row 1, column 4
wide at row 4, column 2: 3 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 4, column 1
square 9 at row 4, column 6: 3 wide × 3 tall, top-left row 4, column 4
tall 3 at row 5, column 7: 1 wide × 3 tall, top-left row 4, column 7
square at row 6, column 1: 2 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 6, column 1
tall 2 at row 6, column 3: 1 wide × 2 tall, top-left row 6, column 3
wide 3 at row 7, column 4: 3 wide × 1 tall, top-left row 7, column 4
square 1 at row 7, column 7: 1 wide × 1 tall, top-left row 7, column 7

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Patches #46 (November 11, 2026): solution and step-by-step

Patches #46 in numbers

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