Patches · No. 178 · Friday edition
LinkedIn Patches #178 Answer (Sep 11, 2026)
Hint: Place the large numbered patches first — they have the fewest ways to fit.
Show Patches #178 answer as text
- Patch 1: R1C2–R1C6 (5 cells)
- Patch 2: R2C2–R6C2 (5 cells)
- Patch 3: R1C1–R6C1 (6 cells)
- Patch 4: R2C4–R4C5 (6 cells)
- Patch 5: R2C3–R4C3 (3 cells)
- Patch 6: R2C6–R6C6 (5 cells)
- Patch 7: R5C5–R6C5 (2 cells)
- Patch 8: R5C3–R6C4 (4 cells)
About Patches #178
- Patches #178 splits a 6×6 grid into 8 patches.
- Clue shapes: 1 square, 3 tall, 4 free-form.
- 4 clues show no size, so those patches can be any area.
- LinkedIn rates it Hard.
- It has 8 patches, fewer than the average of 8.9 across the previous 7 puzzles.
- Each patch is one rectangle holding exactly one clue, with the clue's shape and, where a number is shown, exactly that many squares.
- Squares R4C1, R5C1, and R6C1 can only be reached by the tall clue with no number at R3C1, so they belong to that patch.
- Square R4C4 can only be reached by the free-form 6 clue at R3C4, so it belongs to that patch, and the only rectangle for that clue that includes it is the 3×2 block from R2C4 to R4C5.
- With the patch for the free-form 6 clue at R3C4 fixed, square R2C1 can only be reached by the tall clue with no number at R3C1, so it belongs to that patch.