Before the first nudge
Read the room, then rearrange it
The board is a small apartment with too many suitcases and four front doors. Water only comes home when a suitcase reaches the door of its own color. That sounds simple until the last empty square is the one you needed for turning around.
So pause. Name the pipe that is already almost clear. Name the block that is pretending to be helpful. The clever move is often the one that looks a little slow.
