Levels 5001 to 6000: 1000 boards from 9x9 and 10x10, on 2 lives, 1 on boss boards. Every 10th level is a boss board. Below: every technique this chapter needs, shown on its own boards, and two boards solved in full.
1000
Levels
2
Lives
100
Boss boards
What Clocktower Clowder asks of you
A thousand more levels of boards that need the counting trick again and again. Regular boards keep your two lives, but every boss board gives you just one.
On a boss board, prove every cross before you place a single cat, then count the rows, columns and colors once more. One life means a wrong cat ends the attempt.
Techniques you will need
Grey crosses are squares already ruled out. Coral marks what the step changes.
Last free squareA row, column or patch is down to one square that can still hold a cat, so the cat goes there.Needed on 100% of Clocktower Clowder boards, about 9.5 times per board.Level 5001. Cat 3 of 9: the mint patch is down to a single free square at row 4, column 4, so its cat settles there.
Patch in a lineEvery free square of a patch sits in one row or column, so that line belongs to the patch and the rest of it can be crossed out. It works the other way round too.Needed on 99% of Clocktower Clowder boards, about 3.3 times per board.Level 5001. Every free square of the sky patch sits in column 9, so the sky cat must come from there and the rest of column 9 can be crossed out.
Dead-end squarePicture a cat on a square. If it would cross out every last spot in some row, column or patch, that square can never hold a cat.Needed on 100% of Clocktower Clowder boards, about 17.1 times per board.Level 5001. A cat at row 1, column 8 would leave column 9 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out.
Counting trickWhen two patches fit entirely inside the same two rows (or three inside three, and so on), those rows are theirs. Every other square in them can be crossed out.Needed on 100% of Clocktower Clowder boards, about 3.5 times per board.Level 5001. The lilac, peach, aqua and lime patches all squeeze into rows 5, 6, 7 and 9, so those rows are reserved for them; every other square there can be crossed out.
Cat 1 of 9: the coral patch is down to a single free square at row 8, column 1, so its cat settles there.
Every free square of the sky patch sits in column 9, so the sky cat must come from there and the rest of column 9 can be crossed out. A cat at row 1, column 8 would leave column 9 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 2, column 7 would leave row 3 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 2, column 8 would leave column 9 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 3, column 5 would leave the mint patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 3, column 7 would leave the yellow patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 4, column 6 would leave the mint patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 4, column 7 would leave the yellow patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 5, column 3 would leave column 2 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 5, column 4 would leave the mint patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 6, column 7 would leave row 7 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 7, column 3 would leave the peach patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 7, column 6 would leave the lilac patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 9, column 7 would leave the lime patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. The lilac, peach, aqua and lime patches all squeeze into rows 5, 6, 7 and 9, so those rows are reserved for them; every other square there can be crossed out. Every free square of the mint patch sits in row 4, so the mint cat must come from there and the rest of row 4 can be crossed out. A cat at row 3, column 4 would leave row 4 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 9, column 6 would leave row 5 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. The yellow and aqua patches all squeeze into columns 7 and 8, so those columns are reserved for them; every other square there can be crossed out. Every free square of the lime patch sits in row 9, so the lime cat must come from there and the rest of row 9 can be crossed out. Every free square of the peach patch sits in row 6, so the peach cat must come from there and the rest of row 6 can be crossed out. The mint and lime patches all squeeze into columns 4 and 5, so those columns are reserved for them; every other square there can be crossed out. Cat 2 of 9: the lilac patch is down to a single free square at row 5, column 6, so its cat settles there.
Cat 3 of 9: the mint patch is down to a single free square at row 4, column 4, so its cat settles there.
Cat 4 of 9: the aqua patch is down to a single free square at row 7, column 8, so its cat settles there.
Cat 5 of 9: the yellow patch is down to a single free square at row 1, column 7, so its cat settles there.
Cat 6 of 9: the sky patch is down to a single free square at row 2, column 9, so its cat settles there.
Cat 7 of 9: the rose patch is down to a single free square at row 3, column 2, so its cat settles there.
Cat 8 of 9: the peach patch is down to a single free square at row 6, column 3, so its cat settles there.
Cat 9 of 9: the lime patch is down to a single free square at row 9, column 5, so its cat settles there.
The hardest board in Clocktower Clowder: level 6000
Every free square of the peach patch sits in column 5, so the peach cat must come from there and the rest of column 5 can be crossed out. A cat at row 1, column 3 would leave the yellow patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 2, column 1 would leave the yellow patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 3, column 8 would leave the lilac patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 4, column 7 would leave the lilac patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 5, column 9 would leave the lilac patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. Every free square of the mint patch sits in column 10, so the mint cat must come from there and the rest of column 10 can be crossed out. A cat at row 6, column 4 would leave column 5 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 6, column 6 would leave column 5 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 7, column 8 would leave row 8 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 9, column 2 would leave the periwinkle patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 9, column 7 would leave row 8 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. The yellow, sky and rose patches all squeeze into rows 1, 2 and 3, so those rows are reserved for them; every other square there can be crossed out. A cat at row 4, column 9 would leave column 10 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. Every free square of the lilac patch sits in column 8, so the lilac cat must come from there and the rest of column 8 can be crossed out. A cat at row 5, column 7 would leave row 8 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 6, column 7 would leave row 8 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 7, column 6 would leave row 8 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 9, column 6 would leave row 8 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 10, column 7 would leave row 8 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. The mint and lilac patches all squeeze into rows 4 and 5, so those rows are reserved for them; every other square there can be crossed out. A cat at row 3, column 9 would leave row 4 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 2, column 7 would leave row 3 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 6, column 3 would leave the aqua patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 6, column 9 would leave row 5 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 7, column 1 would leave the aqua patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. A cat at row 7, column 4 would leave column 5 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. The peach and aqua patches all squeeze into rows 6 and 7, so those rows are reserved for them; every other square there can be crossed out. A cat at row 8, column 9 would leave the lime patch with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. The yellow and aqua patches all squeeze into columns 1 and 2, so those columns are reserved for them; every other square there can be crossed out. Cat 1 of 10: the periwinkle patch is down to a single free square at row 10, column 3, so its cat settles there.
Cat 2 of 10: the only free square left in row 9 is column 9, so the cat goes there.
A cat at row 2, column 6 would leave column 7 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. Every free square of the rose patch sits in row 3, so the rose cat must come from there and the rest of row 3 can be crossed out. A cat at row 7, column 5 would leave row 8 with no home for its cat, so cross that square out. Cat 3 of 10: the peach patch is down to a single free square at row 6, column 5, so its cat settles there.
Cat 4 of 10: the aqua patch is down to a single free square at row 7, column 2, so its cat settles there.
Cat 5 of 10: the yellow patch is down to a single free square at row 1, column 1, so its cat settles there.
Cat 6 of 10: the sky patch is down to a single free square at row 2, column 4, so its cat settles there.
Cat 7 of 10: the coral patch is down to a single free square at row 8, column 6, so its cat settles there.
Cat 8 of 10: the rose patch is down to a single free square at row 3, column 7, so its cat settles there.
Cat 9 of 10: the lilac patch is down to a single free square at row 5, column 8, so its cat settles there.
Cat 10 of 10: the mint patch is down to a single free square at row 4, column 10, so its cat settles there.
Stuck on a different board? Tap the hint paw in the game: it points at the row, column or patch where the next forced move hides, and only shows the square if you ask again.
mobi