What is LinkedIn Patches?
Patches is one of LinkedIn's newer daily puzzles, and it is all about fitting shapes together. The grid has to be completely covered with coloured shapes, like patches on a quilt, so that there are no gaps and no overlaps. Clues on the board tell you about the shapes that belong there, and your job is to work out how the pieces divide up the space. It feels a little like a jigsaw puzzle combined with a logic puzzle: you start with the clear-cut areas and the rest of the board gradually falls into place. Like the other LinkedIn games, it is designed to be finished in a few minutes and can be played without signing in. It suits visual thinkers and anyone who enjoys tangram-style puzzles, packing problems or simply making things fit neatly together.
How to play
- Use the clues on the board to work out which shapes go where.
- Cover every square of the grid with a shape.
- Shapes may not overlap, and no square can be left empty.
Quick facts
- Typical time
- 2–4 min
- Difficulty
- Easy–medium
- Price
- Free.
- Account
- Not needed. Signing in to LinkedIn adds streaks and leaderboards.
- Past puzzles
- No. LinkedIn only offers today's puzzle.
- On a phone
- In the browser, or in the LinkedIn app.
- The clues
- A number gives the size of a patch. A symbol says whether it must be square, wide, tall or any rectangle.
Tips to get better
- Start with the clue that has the fewest options. A square clue with a number is almost fixed: a square of 4 can only be two by two, and a square of 9 only three by three.
- One clue per patch. Every rectangle holds exactly one clue. If the rectangle you want to draw would swallow a second clue, it's wrong. Neighbouring clues act as walls for each other.
- Use the edges. A clue in a corner or against the side can only grow in some directions. A tall clue in the top row has to hang downwards.
- Think in rows and columns. A patch of 6 can be one by six or two by three. If the clue says 'wide', it has to be more columns than rows, and that often leaves a single fit.
- Find the orphan squares. Every square has to be covered. Look for a square that only one clue could possibly reach. That clue's patch must stretch to include it.
- Leave the big flexible patches. A large 'any shape' clue has the most ways to fit, so it tells you the least. Place it last, when the others have squeezed it into shape.
Who it's for
Visual thinkers who like things to fit will enjoy Patches. Every rectangle can be reasoned out, and the board fills with colour as you go, which is oddly pleasing. The symbols take a puzzle or two to learn. Once you know them, most days are gentle, with the occasional board that makes you stop and think.
