GridMew1Check row 6
row 6 has only one remaining candidate: row 6, column 4. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 1. Place one cat, then exclude 0 other cells.A bottom-row single leaves a one-cell region
Original puzzle gm-6-0011
By GridMew · Published 15 October 2026 · Updated 16 October 2026
6 × 6 intro
Read the starting position, follow the deductions, and check the move that is easy to misread.
Puzzle board · starting state
How to approach this board
Coordinates such as r2c3 mean row 2, column 3. Count rows from the top and columns from the left.
Three givens complete rows 1, 4 and 5. Row 6 resolves at r6c4, then the singleton region C at r3c1 supplies a second independent anchor. No candidate-elimination rule is required.
6×6 · 3 fixed cats · 3 explained deductions. Region sizes: A: 3 · B: 10 · C: 1 · D: 4 · E: 14 · F: 4.
A deduction worth checking
The r3c1 placement removes r2c1 by column and r3c3 by row. The remaining row-2 position is then forced.
A move to double-check · r3c3
r3c3 is not adjacent to r3c1, but row 3 is full. An empty cell in a filled row is no longer a candidate, whatever its region.
Green marks the cell being discussed, not a cat to place. This is the position before step 2; compare the deduction below.
Read the starting board as text
Each line is one row, left to right. Matching letters belong to the same connected region.
B B B B A A B B B B A D C B B E E D E E E E E D E E E E E D E E F F F F
Fixed cats: row 4, column 6; row 5, column 2; row 1, column 5. One cat is required in each row, column and region.
Step-by-step walkthrough
2Check region C
region C has only one remaining candidate: row 3, column 1. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 2. Place one cat, then exclude 2 other cells.3Check row 2
row 2 has only one remaining candidate: row 2, column 3. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 3. Place one cat, then exclude 0 other cells.Show solution · reveals all cat positions
The final cats satisfy every row, column and region quota, with no edge or corner contact.
Cat positions: r1c5, r2c3, r3c1, r4c6, r5c2, r6c4.
Try another puzzle
Use the three completed upper rows as constraints
gm-6-0004 · 6×6 · intro
Practice single-candidate placements on another 6×6 board.
Read this walkthrough →A short finish between three fixed cats
gm-5-0004 · 5×5 · intro
Transfer single-candidate placements to a 5×5 grid; compare how the candidates change.
Read this walkthrough →Combine a reserved row with its shared neighbors
gm-8-0001 · 8×8 · challenge
Compare this route with shared-neighbor exclusions, and check why that different rule is needed.
Read this walkthrough →