An Easy 6×6 Puzzle Solved with Shape Squeeze in 10 Steps
Play this board yourself →A
B
C
D
E
F
1
2
3
4
5
6
1×
×
2×
×

3×

×
×
×
×
×
×
×
4

×
×
×
5×
×
×
×
×

×
×
6×

×
×
×

×
×
×
×
This 6×6 board rates as easy (difficulty score 769). Solving it from scratch takes 10 logical steps, using 7 techniques: Single cell, Row/column exclusion, Adjacency clear, Region confinement, Line confinement, Paired regions, Shape squeeze. Every step below is forced: nothing here is a guess.
- First, every open cell in column F belongs to the same region, so that region's marker has to be somewhere in this column; that clears every other open cell in the region.
- Next, place a marker at E1. Column 5 has exactly one open cell left. Placing here clears the rest of row 1, column E, and its region. Placing here also clears its 1 touching neighbour.
- Then, place a marker at A2. Row 2 has exactly one open cell left. Placing here clears the rest of row 2, column A, and its region.
- After that, every open cell left in this region sits in column B, so its marker has to land there; that clears every other open cell in the column.
- Now, together, two regions have open cells only in rows 5 and 6; with one marker each, those two markers have to fill exactly those two rows, so every other region's open cells there can be cleared.
- From there, every remaining candidate in this region touches C5 and C6, so whichever candidate ends up marked will clear them, and they can be ruled out now regardless of which one wins.
- Following that, place a marker at D5. Region has exactly one open cell left. Placing here clears the rest of row 5, column D, and its region. Placing here also clears its 1 touching neighbour.
- First, place a marker at C3. Region has exactly one open cell left. Placing here clears the rest of row 3, column C, and its region.
- Next, place a marker at F4. Region has exactly one open cell left.
- Finally, place a marker at B6. Region has exactly one open cell left.
The key move here was Shape squeeze. Once you can spot that, this board falls quickly. ∎