Zip guide
Zip Strategy & Tips
A good Zip solve is mostly about avoiding dead ends.
Start with the basics
- Use corners fully.
- Never strand a pocket of cells.
- Count the cells between dots.
Advanced strategy
Plan from both ends
Work backwards from the last dot as well as forwards from dot 1. Two half-paths that meet are easier than one long guess.
Hug the edges
Edges and corners have fewer options, so routing along them early keeps the open middle flexible.
Checkerboard check
Colour the grid like a chessboard. Every move switches colour, so the number of steps between two dots must match their colours. If it does not, the route between them needs a detour.
Respect bottlenecks
A single cell joining two areas is crossed only once, so decide early which area the path finishes first.
Common mistakes
- Committing to a long route before checking the far corners.
- Ignoring a one-cell gap next to a wall.
Worked example
In the example below the route alternates direction on each row, which uses every corner and never leaves an unreachable pocket.