Zip · No. 540 · Tuesday edition
LinkedIn Zip #540 Answer (Sep 8, 2026)
Hint: Corners and cells boxed in by walls have only one or two exits — route the path through them first.
Show Zip #540 answer as text
- 1→2: ↓×2
- 2→3: ↓×2
- 3→4: → ↑×5 ← ↑
- 4→5: →×4 ↓ ←×2 ↓ →×2 ↓ ←×2 ↓ →×2 ↓ ←×2 ↓ →×3 ↑×6 →
- 5→6: ↓×2
- 6→7: ↓×2
- 7→8: ↓×2
About Zip #540
- Zip #540 is a 7×7 grid with 8 numbered checkpoints and 18 walls.
- The path runs from 1 to 8 and must cover all 49 squares.
- It has 8 checkpoints, fewer than the average of 10.3 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 checkpoint 4 at R1C1, checkpoint 5 at R1C7, and checkpoint 3 at 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 R1C3, R1C4, and R2C3 only two open sides each, which fixes their links: R1C3 links to R1C2 and R1C4; R1C4 links to R1C3 and R1C5; R2C3 links to R3C3 and R2C4.
- R1C2 already has both of its links and cannot also join R2C2, which leaves R2C2 with only two exits: R2C2 links to R2C1 and R3C2.