An Easy 6×6 Puzzle Solved with Shape Squeeze in 11 Steps
Play this board yourself →A
B
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F
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5
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1×
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2×

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3×
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4×

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5

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6×
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This 6×6 board rates as easy (difficulty score 789). Solving it from scratch takes 11 logical steps, using 6 techniques: Single cell, Row/column exclusion, Adjacency clear, Region confinement, Paired regions, Shape squeeze. Every step below is forced: nothing here is a guess.
- First, 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.
- Next, every open cell left in this region sits in row 4, so its marker has to land there; that clears every other open cell in the row.
- Then, every open cell left in this region sits in row 3, so its marker has to land there; that clears every other open cell in the row.
- After that, every remaining candidate in this region touches D2 and D4, so whichever candidate ends up marked will clear them, and they can be ruled out now regardless of which one wins.
- Now, every remaining candidate in this region touches C3 and B5 and C5, so whichever candidate ends up marked will clear them, and they can be ruled out now regardless of which one wins.
- From there, place a marker at A5. Row 5 has exactly one open cell left. Placing here clears the rest of row 5, column A, and its region. Placing here also clears its 1 touching neighbour.
- Following that, place a marker at C4. Region has exactly one open cell left. Placing here clears the rest of row 4, column C, and its region. Placing here also clears its 1 touching neighbour.
- First, place a marker at E3. Region has exactly one open cell left. Placing here clears the rest of row 3, column E, and its region. Placing here also clears its 1 touching neighbour.
- Next, place a marker at F1. Region has exactly one open cell left. Placing here clears the rest of row 1, column F, and its region.
- Then, place a marker at B2. Region has exactly one open cell left.
- Finally, place a marker at D6. Region has exactly one open cell left.
The key move here was Shape squeeze. Once you can spot that, this board falls quickly. ∎