How to play Patches
Split the grid into rectangles. Each rectangle holds exactly one clue: a number gives its area, an icon gives its shape. Drag to draw a patch, tap a patch to remove it.
The rules
Cover the board
Every cell must end up inside exactly one rectangle, called a patch. Patches never overlap and never leave gaps.
One clue per patch
Each patch holds exactly one clue cell. A patch that swallows two clues, or none, is never part of the answer.
Match the number
A number is the patch’s area in cells. A 6 can be 1×6, 2×3, 3×2 or 6×1, as long as it fits on the board.
Match the shape
An icon limits the shape: a square, a tall rectangle or a wide rectangle. A clue without a number can be any size, and one with neither a number nor an icon can be any rectangle that fits.
Patch shapes
- SquareEqual width and height.
- Tall rectangleHigher than it is wide.
- Wide rectangleWider than it is tall.
- Any rectangleNo shape restriction.
Controls
Draw
Drag from one cell to another to draw a patch over that rectangle. It takes the colour of the clue inside it.
Remove
Tap a placed patch to lift it off. Undo steps back one move, and Reset clears the board and starts the clock again.
Keyboard
Arrow keys move around the board. Enter or Space starts a patch and places it, Escape cancels, Delete removes the patch under the cursor and Ctrl+Z (⌘Z on a Mac) undoes.
Hint
Hint outlines one patch from the solution that you have not placed yet. Use it when you are stuck; your time still counts.
How to solve a board
Count the fits
For each clue, picture every rectangle with the right area and shape that stays on the board and covers no other clue. Corner clues, shape icons and large numbers squeezed between neighbours usually leave only a handful. Start where the count is lowest.
Claim the overlap
If every possible rectangle for a clue covers the same cell, that cell belongs to that clue whatever happens. No other patch can use it, which often rules out a neighbour’s options straight away.
Find the only owner
Look at a cell no patch covers yet and ask which clues could still reach it. If only one can, that clue’s patch must include the cell, and every option that misses it is gone.
Don’t strand a neighbour
A rectangle that would leave another clue with nowhere to go is wrong, even if it fits its own clue perfectly. This is the move that cracks harder boards, where two or three clues compete for the same corner.
Repeat
Each placed patch removes options elsewhere, so go round the board again. Harder puzzles need more rounds before the next patch becomes certain; easy ones mostly fall out of counting the fits.
Ways to play
Daily
A new set of 5×5, 6×6, 8×8 and 10×10 boards every day, with a shared leaderboard per size. Difficulty climbs through the week, from the gentlest boards on Monday to the hardest on Sunday. Play today’s daily
Catalog
Forty-eight fixed puzzles, twelve per size, each set ordered from easiest to hardest. Your best time on each board is saved, so you can come back and beat it. Browse the catalog
Unlimited
A fresh board whenever you want one. Pick the size and choose easy, medium or hard; easy matches a Monday daily, hard a Sunday. Start an unlimited board
Questions
Does every puzzle have one solution?
Yes. Every board is checked to have exactly one answer, and to be solvable with the techniques above, so you never need to guess.
Why did the timer stop?
The clock pauses and the board hides whenever you switch tabs or windows, so everyone’s times measure solving rather than waiting.
Can a patch be a single cell?
No. Every patch covers at least two cells, so a clue’s rectangle always reaches into a neighbouring cell.
Do I need an account?
No. You can play every mode without one. Daily times go on the daily leaderboard under a generated guest name either way. An account keeps your times and streak on every device, shows your rank on the daily board and puts your catalog solves on their leaderboards.