LinkedIn Zip #458 Answer & Analysis

The puzzle starts at 1 on R5C5 and immediately has to move into 2 at R4C5. From there, the route turns left into the center so the path can keep expanding instead of getting boxed in near the start.

From the 2 checkpoint, the route has to travel through the central cells in a long controlled bend before it can arrive at 3 on R5C6. This middle section is what keeps the board connected and prevents isolated pockets.

After passing through the central cells, the path continues across the right side, drops to the bottom row, and then sweeps left. That lower-edge sweep is essential because it visits a large block of cells before the route climbs again.

Once the lower sweep is complete, the path rises through the left-middle area and then crosses the upper-right corridor to reach 8, 9, 10, and 11 in order. The border walls on some of those cells make this climb feel forced, which is why the route has to keep its shape.

The last stretch runs across the top row, then drops down the left column to finish on 12 at R4C1. That ending is what proves the route covered the whole grid: all 36 cells are used exactly once, and every numbered cell is hit in order.