linkedin-games

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Solvers for LinkedIn's non-semantic puzzle games of Queens, Zip, Tango, and Mini-Sudoku.

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# linkedin-games

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8c7d7c48-01db-40f8-aa06-ec2156c84417

- [Install on Firefox via AMO](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/linkedin-games-solver/)
- [Install on Chrome via WebStore](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/linkedin-games-solver/ncalomlkpjgkcmfbdikdodindkkngjhp)
- [Install from source](#from-source-browser-installation-instructions)

A Firefox- and Chrome-compatible browser plugin to solve the daily LinkedIn Games puzzles. Currently supports (note: the links below open https://www.linkedin.com):

- [Queens](https://www.linkedin.com/games/queens/)
- [Mini-Sudoku](https://www.linkedin.com/games/sudoku/)
- [Zip](https://www.linkedin.com/games/zip/)
- [Tango](https://www.linkedin.com/games/tango/)

Stay tuned for more!

## Usage (Post-Installation)

Simply click the plugin's icon in your toolbar (you may want to pin the plugin for convenience) after starting a game, and hit the `Solve` button to cheat.

## Prerequisites

- `node`
- `npm`

Note that Manifest V3 APIs are used throughout this project's source code.

## Build Instructions

1. `npm install` (at least once, and on changes to `package*.json`)
2. `node build.js` (at least once, and on changes to `src`).
    - There is an optional `--watch` flag that facilitates active development by rebuilding upon any changes to the `src/` directory. However, for your _browser_ to recognize changes, you still need reload/refresh the extension from your browser's add-on manager itself. See the [From-Source Browser Installation](#from-source-browser-installation-instructions) section for how to do this.

### Unit Test Execution Instructions

Note: these unit tests are currently NOT automatically run as part of the `node build.js` step.

- `npm test` for every unit test except for one.
- `npm run test:slow` performs an involved test that validates the strategic Tango solver against a brute-force solver.
Both are supplied every possible line state (including invalid ones), of which there are $`3^{11}`$&mdash;three possible markings for each of the 6 cells (including "empty"), three possible signages for each of the 5 spaces between consecutive cells (including "none").

A CI/CD pipeline should run both.
A developer can get away with just the former unless they're making significant changes to `src/main/js/tango/line.js`.

## From-Source Browser Installation Instructions

`node build.js` must be run at least once before you can follow the next steps.

### Firefox

Visit `about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox` in your Firefox URL bar, then load a temporary extension via `firefox-dist/manifest.json`.

To ensure that source changes take place, make sure to run `node build.js`, then "Reload" the extension in the aforementioned link.

### Chrome

Visit `chrome://extensions/` in your Chrome URL bar. With `Developer mode` enabled, load an unpacked extension via `chrome-dist/`.

To ensure that source changes take place, make sure to run `node build.js`, then "Refresh" the extension in the aforementioned link.

## Solver Algorithm Overviews

### Queens

<details><summary>(Expand for overview)</summary>

The Queens solver uses a comically simple recursive, short-circuiting backtracking algorithm.

```
# Source code sorts by ascending order of cell count, but any order works.
colors := [color1, color2, ..., colorN]
placements := []
backtrack(0, placements)
# By this point, placements contains the desired result.

function backtrack(depth, colors, placements):
  if depth = boardLength:
    return True
  currentColor := colors[depth]
  for cell in currentColor's cells:
    if cell can be marked as a queen:
      mark cell and invalidate row/col/locale
      placements.push(cell)
      shortCircuit := backtrack(depth + 1, placements)
      unmark cell and restore row/col/locale
      if shortCircuit:
        return True
      else:
        placements.pop()
```

Some notes on how we determine queen placement validity:

- With color choice being one-to-one with recursion depth, we do not have to explicitly track color validity.
- The bookkeeping to track row/column validity is trivially handled via boolean array(s) or bitfields.
- For tracking locale validity (i.e. ensuring that all neighboring cells of a placed queen are marked as invalid), notice that row/column validity already handles everything but diagonal neighbors.
Thus, we simply tack on a per-cell counter that identifies how many already-placed queens diagonally touch this cell.
Any counter is at most 2, as in the following example (asterisk identifies a queen):

```
. . . . . . . . .
. . 0 0 0 0 0 . .
. . 1 0 1 0 0 . .
. . 0 * 0 0 0 . .
. . 1 0 2 0 1 . .
. . 0 0 0 * 0 . .
. . 0 0 1 0 1 . .
. . . . . . . . .
```

</details>

### Mini-Sudoku

<details><summary>(Expand for overview)</summary>

The Mini-Sudoku solver uses the exact same baseline algorithm as the prior: explore in a depth-first manner while abiding by all constraints and backtracking as needed, and short-circuit return whenever we achieve the required depth.
This time, trying unmarked cells in increasing order of possible candidates is helpful to solve puzzles that are specifically designed to take a long time using brute force.

Lots of low-hanging fruit here for strategic improvements, but they're wasted on puzzles that are this small.

</details>

### Zip

<details><summary>(Expand for overview)</summary>

The Zip solver uses the exact same baseline algorithm as the prior two puzzle types, with two noteworthy adaptations:

- We perform the backtracking iteratively via a loop and a stack, rather than recursively.
- We add a cell degree based *path pruning* strategy atop the *explicit rules* (which are themselves few and really only forbid wall-/boundary-crossing paths, self-crossing paths, and premature numbered cell access); see the doc comments for `ZipGrid#canVisitUp` in [solver.js](./src/main/js/zip/solver.js) for a detailed explanation of the pruning strategy.

</details>

### Tango

<details><summary>(Expand for overview [warning: long!])</summary>

While backtracking trivially solves Tango, brute-force solutions are unsatisfying—and we've already applied them to two other puzzles.
Given that LinkedIn promises the following:

- Each puzzle has **one right answer** and can be solved via deduction (you should **never have to make a guess**)

, we implement something more elegant.

#### Defining Some Assumptions

LinkedIn's definition of a "guess" is not formally specified.
We'll ignore that ambiguity for now and proceed with the following guarantee:

- **Invariant A:** For any provided puzzle with $`N`$ blank cells, there exists a sequence of moves $`[m_1, m_2, ..., m_N]`$ that solves the puzzle where each $`m_i`$ indicates the finalizing of some blank cell.
Exactly one such sequence (ignoring order) exists for a provided puzzle.

This at least gets us started toward an algorithm: iterate over every blank cell, check if we can confidently mark it without "guessing" (again, let's not yet worry about what exactly that means), do so if we can, and repeat until no blank cells remain.
But this strategy wastes work; in the early stages of solving a puzzle, most blank cells cannot be marked, and we're checking all of them.

It's hard to proceed any further from here without additional assumptions.
Let's assume something stronger:

- **Invariant B:** In addition to Invariant A holding true, at every step toward a solution, some $`m_i`$ may be finalized by simply considering either the row or the column that contains it.

_Invariant A does not imply Invariant B_; the latter is a stronger and independent assumption.
Disproving the implication can be accomplished by identifying any partial grid with exactly one solution where no level of "single row" or "single column" reasoning can determine any cell.
Consider the following grid:

```
    1   2   3   4   5   6
  -------------------------
1 |   | S | M | S |   |   |
  | - + - + - + - + - + - |
2 |   |   |   | M |   | S |
  | - + - + - + - + - + - |
3 | S | M | S |   |   | M |
  | - + - + - + - + - + - |
4 | M | S | M | S | S | M |
  | - + - + - + - + - + - |
5 | M |   | S |   | M | S |
  | - + - + - + - + - + - |
6 | S |   |   | M |   | S |
  -------------------------
```

When we look at any row or column ("line") in isolation, there are enough possible solutions to the line where no individual cell will definitely have a known value.
But if we mark row 5 column 2 as a Sun, then: `R5C2=S` ⇒ `R6C2=M` ⇒ `R2C2=M` ⇒ `R2C3=S` ⇒ `R6C3=M`.
This leads to three consecutive moons in Row 6 (columns 2–4), which is a contradiction.
Therefore `R5C2` must have been a Moon all along.
From here, the remainder of the puzzle becomes solvable by performing line-isolated reasoning (and therefore has one solution).

This example puzzle is uniquely solvable (satisfying Invariant A), even though it requires reasoning beyond looking at individual lines (contradicting Invariant B).
However, note that there is _no logical way_ to solve the puzzle without making a hypothesis about the color of some cell and seeing whether it eventually leads to a global inconsistency.
That sounds like a "guess".

We thus choose to believe that Invariant B is what LinkedIn means when it promises that every Tango puzzle can be solved without guesswork.
In doing so, a far more satisfying strategy than backtracking becomes feasible.

**Observation:** If we treat all "lines" (rows and columns) in a vacuum, a blank cell in a line can be deduced _only if_ there's at least one marked cell elsewhere in the line.

This can be proven via contradiction: a line must have exactly one solution; if a line is blank, then both the intended solution and its complement (i.e. flip every Sun/Moon) will satisfy any line-imposed rules.

**Observation:** If a cell isn't currently solvable, then it definitely remains unsolvable unless either its containing row or its containing column receives an update.

#### Strategic Algorithm

Let's assume that we have a `consolidateLine(line)` method that accepts a line; it marks every cell that can confidently be marked (including cells that can be marked given previous marks made in `consolidateLine`), and it returns the changelist of cells.
The following algorithm provably solves any Invariant B–type Tango grid while limiting exploration to blank cells that are reasonable mark candidates:

```
lineQueue := [] # duplicate-free queue
for each mark-containing line (markedLine):
  lineQueue.offer(markedLine)

while lineQueue is not empty:
  line := lineQueue.poll()
  newMarkedCells := consolidateLine(line)
  for cell in newMarkedCells:
    perp := orthogonal to line that intersects at cell
    lineQueue.offer(perp)
```

Much better!
But how does one actually implement `consolidateLine`?
Trivially, we perform *line-level* backtracking&mdash;much better than grid-level, but still a bit cheaty when our original goal is to implement a strategic solver.

An alternative is exactly how most humans play the game: check for the presence of situations that yield guaranteed marks, and apply those marks.
Many such patterns are obvious (e.g. two consecutive cells of a mark imply the cell is the other, or one marked cell touching a nonempty sign determines its counterpart).
Some are quite cryptic (one that I have yet to see utilized in an official puzzle is how if the middle two cells of a line are connected by an equals and one border cell is marked, then the other must have the other mark).

The logic in [tango/line.js](./src/main/js/tango/line.js) does this.
It has been [validated against all possible line arrangements alongside a brute-force backtracker](./src/test/js/tango/strategicExhaustiveEquivalence.slowtest.js).

#### Theoretically Optimal Algorithm

Astute readers may notice that if we're going by known patterns anyway, why not just maintain a lookup table of every possible line status that consolidates to nonempty?

There are `22748` incomplete lines such that least one move can be confidently made in the line.
By exploiting symmetry and operating on bits, we could very easily bring the size of the lookup table to dozens of kilobytes, and with some additional optimizations very possibly into single-digit kilobytes.
That's pretty small in some environments, but large enough to be suspicious for a simple browser extension that strives to be lightweight.

We don't necessarily have to throw everything away, however.
It turns out that there are only `858` line combinations that both could eventually hope to bring about any solution yet yield no immediate deductions.
A table seeded with these values could supplement our current algorithm to completely prevent enqueuing lines from which we're currently going to learn nothing.
We have chosen not to implement this since the check happens rather quickly anyway, but it does add a noteworthy elegance.

</details>

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