LinkedIn Patches #125 is a 7×7 Patches board with 6 clues (6 specify area, shapes: 2 tall, 4 flexible). The solution tiles all 49 cells with non-overlapping rectangles — one per clue. Recommended order: clue 1 (4×2) → clue 2 (4×4) → clue 3 (4×1) → clue 4 (3×2) → clue 5 (3×3) → clue 6 (3×2). Each rectangle must contain exactly one clue cell and match area and shape constraints when given.
Board spotlight: One or more clues demand large rectangles — lock those anchors first because they consume the most territory and constrain where every smaller patch can fit. With 6 of 6 clues showing a numbered area, dimension math often pins down rectangle size before you choose a position on the grid.
General Patches strategy on 7×7: rectangles cannot overlap, every cell must belong to exactly one patch, and each patch must contain precisely one clue at its anchor cell. When a clue shows area 12 and a tall icon, only a few height×width pairs are legal — list them before drawing. After each placement, mentally partition the leftover white space: if any region cannot host its remaining clues, back up and try the next candidate.
Patch 1 (clue 1 at Row 1, column 1): 4×2 at Row 1, column 1. The clue shows area 8, so this patch must cover exactly 8 cells (4×2 = 8). After placing this 8-cell rectangle, 41 cells remain for 5 clues. Each leftover region must still tile without overlap.
Patch 2 (clue 2 at Row 1, column 7): 4×4 at Row 1, column 4. The clue shows area 16, so this patch must cover exactly 16 cells (4×4 = 16). After placing this 16-cell rectangle, 25 cells remain for 4 clues. Each leftover region must still tile without overlap.
Patch 3 (clue 3 at Row 2, column 3): 4×1 at Row 1, column 3. The clue shows area 4, so this patch must cover exactly 4 cells (4×1 = 4). The shape icon requires a tall rectangle (taller than wide). After placing this 4-cell rectangle, 21 cells remain for 3 clues. Each leftover region must still tile without overlap.
Patch 4 (clue 4 at Row 6, column 5): 3×2 at Row 5, column 4. The clue shows area 6, so this patch must cover exactly 6 cells (3×2 = 6). The shape icon requires a tall rectangle (taller than wide). After placing this 6-cell rectangle, 15 cells remain for 2 clues. Each leftover region must still tile without overlap.
Patch 5 (clue 5 at Row 7, column 1): 3×3 at Row 5, column 1. The clue shows area 9, so this patch must cover exactly 9 cells (3×3 = 9). After placing this 9-cell rectangle, 6 cells remain for 1 clue. Each leftover region must still tile without overlap.
Patch 6 (clue 6 at Row 7, column 7): 3×2 at Row 5, column 6. The clue shows area 6, so this patch must cover exactly 6 cells (3×2 = 6). This 6-cell patch completes the grid — all 49 cells are now assigned to exactly one clue.
Final verification: 6 rectangles tile the 7×7 grid (49 cells): clue 1 → 4×2, clue 2 → 4×4, clue 3 → 4×1, clue 4 → 3×2, clue 5 → 3×3, clue 6 → 3×2. No overlap, every clue covered exactly once. Pattern tag: large-anchor tiling. One or more clues demand large rectangles — lock those anchors first because they consume the most territory and constrain where every smaller patch can fit.