QED Logic quod erat demonstrandum

An Easy 6×6 Puzzle Solved with Shape Squeeze in 10 Steps

6×6 · easy · 10 steps

Play this board yourself →
A
B
C
D
E
F
1
2
3
4
5
6
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 781). Solving it from scratch takes 10 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.

  1. First, every remaining candidate in this region touches E2, so whichever candidate ends up marked will clear it, and it can be ruled out now regardless of which one wins.
  2. Next, every remaining candidate in this region touches E3, so whichever candidate ends up marked will clear it, and it can be ruled out now regardless of which one wins.
  3. Then, every open cell left in this region sits in column F, so its marker has to land there; that clears every other open cell in the column.
  4. After that, together, two regions have open cells only in columns D and E; with one marker each, those two markers have to fill exactly those two columns, so every other region's open cells there can be cleared.
  5. Now, place a marker at C2. Region has exactly one open cell left. Placing here clears the rest of row 2, column C, and its region. Placing here also clears its 3 touching neighbours.
  6. From there, place a marker at F3. Region has exactly one open cell left. Placing here clears the rest of row 3, column F, and its region. Placing here also clears its 1 touching neighbour.
  7. Following that, place a marker at D4. Region has exactly one open cell left. Placing here clears the rest of row 4, column D, and its region. Placing here also clears its 1 touching neighbour.
  8. First, place a marker at A1. Region has exactly one open cell left. Placing here clears the rest of row 1, column A, and its region.
  9. Next, place a marker at E6. Region has exactly one open cell left. Placing here clears the rest of row 6, column E, and its region.
  10. Finally, place a marker at B5. Region has exactly one open cell left.

The key move here was Shape squeeze. Once you can spot that, this board falls quickly.