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LinkedIn Patches #197 answer — Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Patches · Split the grid into rectangles, one clue per rectangle · puzzle #197
Stuck on today's LinkedIn Patches? Three progressive hints come first, then the full solution — tap to reveal as much or as little as you want. Other games today: Mini Sudoku · Wend · Zip · Queens · Tango · Pinpoint · Crossclimb.
Patches #197 is a 7×7 grid with 8 clues, 2 of them with the area hidden. Start with the 16-cell "any shape" clue at row 4, column 3: only one rectangle fits it. 2 clues hide their areas; leave them until the cells around them are spoken for.
Hints
Hint 1: where to start
Only one rectangle satisfies the 16 marked "any shape" at row 4, column 3: 4×4. Start there.
Hint 2: a solid foothold
Draw the 2 marked "any shape" at row 7, column 1 as a 2×1 block whose top-left corner is row 6, column 1.
Hint 3: nearly there
The 4 marked "any shape" at row 1, column 7 is the rectangle from row 1, column 4, 1 tall by 4 wide. What is still blank now belongs to the clues nearest to it.
Solution
Tap any part to reveal it, or reveal everything at once.
Solution as text
- Rectangle A: 1 tall by 3 wide, top-left at row 1, column 1 (area 3, contains the ? (wide) at row 1, column 1).
- Rectangle B: 1 tall by 4 wide, top-left at row 1, column 4 (area 4, contains the 4 (any shape) at row 1, column 7).
- Rectangle C: 1 tall by 3 wide, top-left at row 2, column 5 (area 3, contains the 3 (wide) at row 2, column 5).
- Rectangle D: 4 tall by 4 wide, top-left at row 2, column 1 (area 16, contains the 16 (any shape) at row 4, column 3).
- Rectangle E: 3 tall by 3 wide, top-left at row 3, column 5 (area 9, contains the 9 (any shape) at row 4, column 5).
- Rectangle F: 2 tall by 4 wide, top-left at row 6, column 2 (area 8, contains the 8 (wide) at row 6, column 3).
- Rectangle G: 2 tall by 1 wide, top-left at row 6, column 1 (area 2, contains the 2 (any shape) at row 7, column 1).
- Rectangle H: 2 tall by 2 wide, top-left at row 6, column 6 (area 4, contains the ? (square) at row 7, column 7).
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Patches is a game by LinkedIn. This page is an independent solving guide and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by LinkedIn Corporation or Microsoft. Puzzle contents are described for the purpose of commentary and help; play the original at linkedin.com/games.