LinkedIn Patches #116 Answer & Analysis

Begin with the most constrained shapes. The 9-patch belongs in the top-right corner, the 2-patch near the top center is forced against the border, and the two small patches on the upper-left side must stay flush with the left edge so they remain connected and do not cut off the board.

Next, solve the central band. The 4-patch across the upper-middle row is a clean divider between the top clusters and the lower open area. Directly beneath it, the large 8-patch fills the left-center as a 2x4 block, which gives the board its main left-side structure.

Now handle the right edge. The two 2-patches stack one above the other on the far right, while the vertical 4-patch runs beside them in the next column. This is a key interaction because it prevents isolated cells and keeps the right side fully connected.

With the right side fixed, the remaining lower-left space becomes straightforward. The 6-patch fits as a compact 3x2 block, and the final 2-patch drops into the narrow center-bottom gap. This keeps the lower half connected without leaving any holes.

The final area is the lower-right corner, which resolves as the last 4-patch. Once that compact 2x2 block is placed, every numbered patch has the correct size, every patch is connected, and the full grid is covered with no overlaps.