Zip · No. 497 · Monday edition
LinkedIn Zip #497 Answer (Jul 27, 2026)
Hint: Corners and cells boxed in by walls have only one or two exits — route the path through them first.
Show Zip #497 answer as text
- 1→2: ← ↓×2
- 2→3: →×2 ↓×2 ← ↑ ←
- 3→4: ↓×2 →×4
- 4→5: → ↑×2
- 5→6: ← ↓
- 6→7: ← ↑×3 → ↓ →
- 7→8: ↑×2 ←×3 ↓ ←
About Zip #497
- Zip #497 is a 6×6 grid with 8 numbered checkpoints and 6 walls.
- The path runs from 1 to 8 and must cover all 36 squares.
- It has 8 checkpoints, fewer than the average of 11.7 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 8, need just one.
- The corners R1C1, R1C6, R6C1, and R6C6 have just two neighbors each, so all their links are forced: R1C1 links to R2C1 and R1C2; R1C6 links to R1C5 and R2C6; R6C1 links to R5C1 and R6C2; R6C6 links to R5C6 and R6C5.
- Walls leave checkpoint 2 at R3C1 only two open sides, which fixes both links: R3C1 links to R2C1 and R3C2.
- Joining R2C1 to checkpoint 8 at R2C2 would connect checkpoint 1 to checkpoint 8 before every square is visited, which leaves R2C1 with only two exits: R2C1 links to R1C1 and R3C1.