Zip · No. 493 · Thursday edition
LinkedIn Zip #493 Answer (Jul 23, 2026)
Hint: Corners and cells boxed in by walls have only one or two exits — route the path through them first.
Show Zip #493 answer as text
- 1→2: ↓ → ↑×2 ←
- 2→3: ↑
- 3→4: → ↑ ← ↑ →×2 ↓×6 ←×3 ↑×2
- 4→5: ↑ ←
- 5→6: ← ↑×2 → ↓
- 6→7: →
- 7→8: ↑×2 ←×3 ↓×6 →×2 ↑ ← ↑ →
About Zip #493
- Zip #493 is a 7×7 grid with 8 numbered checkpoints and 22 walls.
- The path runs from 1 to 8 and must cover all 49 squares.
- It has 8 checkpoints, fewer than the average of 10.0 across the previous 4 puzzles.
- Each square is entered once and left once, so it needs two path links; only the two ends, checkpoints 1 and 8, need just one.
- The corners R1C1, R1C7, and R7C1 have just two neighbors each, so all their links are forced: R1C1 links to R2C1 and R1C2; R1C7 links to R1C6 and R2C7; R7C1 links to R6C1 and R7C2.
- Walls leave R1C2, R1C3, and R1C6 only two open sides each, which fixes their links: R1C2 links to R1C1 and R1C3; R1C3 links to R1C2 and R1C4; R1C6 links to R1C5 and R1C7.
- Checkpoints 3 and 7 are not consecutive, so they cannot be linked directly, which leaves checkpoint 3 at R3C5 with only two exits: R3C5 links to R4C5 and R3C6.