GridMew1Check region F
region F has only one remaining candidate: row 6, column 1. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 1. Place one cat, then exclude 9 other cells.Puzzle gm-6-0009
6 × 6 practice
Take this puzzle one clear step at a time.
Try the puzzle yourself, then explore how the deductions build.
Puzzle board · starting state
Your starting point
This original 6×6 board has 6 connected regions and 1 fixed cat. The smallest region is F, with 1 cell. Start by ruling out every other cell in each fixed cat’s row, column and region, plus its immediate neighbors.
The verified route below uses 5 forced placements and 0 candidate-elimination steps after the givens. Region sizes: A: 8 · B: 4 · C: 4 · D: 13 · E: 6 · F: 1. These are observations about this board, not a guarantee that a smaller region always contains the next move.
Read each diagram in sequence. Cats and × marks in the before-state come from earlier deductions. Green outlines identify the current observation. Open the final answer only when you want the spoiler.
Step-by-step walkthrough
2Check region E
region E has only one remaining candidate: row 5, column 6. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 2. Place one cat, then exclude 3 other cells.3Check column 4
column 4 has only one remaining candidate: row 1, column 4. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 3. Place one cat, then exclude 3 other cells.4Check row 2
row 2 has only one remaining candidate: row 2, column 2. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 4. Place one cat, then exclude 1 other cells.5Check row 4
row 4 has only one remaining candidate: row 4, column 3. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 5. 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: r1c4, r2c2, r3c5, r4c3, r5c6, r6c1.