GridMew1Check region A
region A has only one remaining candidate: row 1, column 5. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 1. Place one cat, then exclude 12 other cells.Puzzle gm-8-0003
8 × 8 intro
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 8×8 board has 8 connected regions and 2 fixed cats. The smallest region is A, 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 6 forced placements and 0 candidate-elimination steps after the givens. Region sizes: A: 1 · B: 2 · C: 9 · D: 9 · E: 22 · F: 11 · G: 7 · H: 3. 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 B
region B 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 2. Place one cat, then exclude 3 other cells.3Check region D
region D has only one remaining candidate: row 4, column 8. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 3. Place one cat, then exclude 7 other cells.4Check region H
region H has only one remaining candidate: row 8, column 7. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 4. Place one cat, then exclude 4 other cells.5Check row 7
row 7 has only one remaining candidate: row 7, column 4. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 5. Place one cat, then exclude 1 other cells.6Check row 5
row 5 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 6. 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, r4c8, r5c6, r6c2, r7c4, r8c7.