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Calendar puzzle solver

The calendar puzzle is played with eight pieces on a board of 43 cells: everything must be covered except the month and day you choose. Pick a date (today's is already selected) and this calendar puzzle solver shows the solution step by step, in 3D, with a printable PDF.

Choose the date

Solve

How to describe your puzzle

There are no pieces to enter here: Emboîto already knows the eight pieces of the calendar puzzle. They are named after their shape: rectangle, L, N, P, U, V, Y and Z. All you have to do is say which date should stay uncovered.

Tap a month, then a day. When the page opens, the date on your device is already selected, so for today's solution there is nothing to enter. The grid of days adapts to the month, with 29 days for February.

The board is drawn in 3D, each cell carrying its label in the language of the page: the twelve months and the thirty-one days. The eight pieces are drawn below the board with their names, so you can recognize them on your table. Turn the view with your finger or mouse if you want to look at it from another angle.

The pieces may be flipped over, and Emboîto takes that into account when solving.

How Emboîto finds the solution

Tap “Find the solution”. Solving runs in your browser, on your phone or your computer, and nothing is sent to a server.

Emboîto uses exact cover to look for a way of placing the eight pieces so that only two cells stay free, the month and the day. It tries every piece in all of its orientations, flipping included, rules out the placements that overlap, and keeps the first one that covers the rest of the board.

Solving can take up to a minute, and the page stays usable in the meantime.

The result is given as one step per piece, in reading order across the board. Each piece arrives from above with a sentence such as “Place the L as shown”, and the last step announces the date left uncovered. The PDF includes every step, before and after.

History and variants

The board has 43 cells: twelve for the months and thirty-one for the days. Eight pieces of different shapes have to cover it, leaving only two cells uncovered, the month and the day. Every date of the year has at least one solution, so whichever date you pick, the puzzle can be finished.

Emboîto shows you one solution for the date you chose, the first one it finds. That is what you need to finish your puzzle, and it doesn't try to list them all.

This version of the site handles the board described here, with the month and the day of the month. If your board also shows the day of the week, that variant isn't supported: only the month and the day of the month can be selected.

Frequently asked questions

What is today's calendar puzzle solution?

Open this page: the date on your device is selected automatically. Tap “Find the solution” to watch the eight pieces go onto the board, step by step.

Is there a calendar puzzle solver for any date?

Yes, every date of the year has at least one solution. Emboîto calculates one for the date you chose, whichever it is.

Can I get the solution for another date?

Yes, just tap another month and another day. The share link carries the chosen date, so whoever opens it sees the same date without entering anything.

Can the pieces be flipped over?

Yes, Emboîto searches with the pieces in all of their orientations, flipping included. On the board, you can therefore place each piece on either of its sides.

Can I print the solution?

Yes. The “Download the solution (PDF)” button prepares an A4 document with the eight pieces, then every step as a before and after picture.

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