LinkedIn Patches #113 Answer & Analysis

The 9 is the most restrictive clue because it needs a full 3x3 connected block. In the solved grid, it occupies the middle of the board, which immediately protects the surrounding edge patches from overlap.

Next, the 6 goes on the entire bottom row, and the 5 runs straight down the left edge. These are the easiest edge placements because they use long uninterrupted space and leave the center intact.

With the edges established, the top 4 becomes a horizontal band across the upper row, while the other 4 is forced into the far-right vertical band. Keeping those two 4s separate preserves the central 9 and the right-side 3.

The remaining 3s are forced into thin corridors: one vertical on the middle-right and one horizontal across the lower middle-right. They fit cleanly because the larger patches have already claimed the open space.

The 2 is the last small patch and sits in the leftover two-cell pocket near the lower center-left. The completed solution is valid because every numbered patch has the correct size, each patch is connected, no patches overlap, and the whole board is filled.