Zip · No. 496 · Sunday edition
LinkedIn Zip #496 Answer (Jul 26, 2026)
Hint: Corners and cells boxed in by walls have only one or two exits — route the path through them first.
Show Zip #496 answer as text
- 1→2: ↑×3 ←×7 ↓×4
- 2→3: ↓ →
- 3→4: ↓ ← ↓ →×7 ↑×3 ← ↑
- 4→5: ← ↓×2
- 5→6: → ↓
- 6→7: ←
- 7→8: ←×3 ↑
- 8→9: → ↑×3
- 9→10: ←
- 10→11: ↓×2 ←
- 11→12: ↑×3
- 12→13: →
- 13→14: →×4 ↓
- 14→15: ←
- 15→16: ← ↓×3
About Zip #496
- Zip #496 is an 8×8 grid with 16 numbered checkpoints and 0 walls.
- The path runs from 1 to 16 and must cover all 64 squares.
- It has 16 checkpoints, more than the average of 10.9 across the previous 7 puzzles.
- Each square is entered once and left once, so it needs two path links; only the two ends, checkpoints 1 and 16, need just one.
- The corners R1C1, R1C8, R8C1, and R8C8 have just two neighbors each, so all their links are forced: R1C1 links to R2C1 and R1C2; R1C8 links to R1C7 and R2C8; R8C1 links to R7C1 and R8C2; R8C8 links to R7C8 and R8C7.
- Checkpoints 4 and 14 are not consecutive, so they cannot be linked directly and checkpoints 1 and 4 are not consecutive, so they cannot be linked directly, which leaves checkpoint 4 at R4C7 with only two exits: R4C7 links to R4C6 and R5C7.
- Checkpoints 2 and 11 are not consecutive, so they cannot be linked directly, which leaves checkpoint 2 at R5C1 with only two exits: R5C1 links to R4C1 and R6C1.