Blog 1: Backtracking Fundamentals – The Foundation
- What is Backtracking? (Brute force + pruning)
- General Backtracking Template (DFS + state changes + undo)
- Key components: choice, constraints, goal
- Example: N-Queens explained step by step
Blog 2: Subset & Power Set Pattern
- Generate all subsets of a set (classic recursion tree)
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Variations:
- Subsets with duplicates
- Subsets of size k
- Power set of strings
Code template
Blog 3: Permutation Pattern
- Generating all permutations
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Variations:
- With duplicates
- String permutations
- Next permutation using backtracking
Code template
Blog 4: Combination & Combinatorial Search
- k-combinations (choose k from n)
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Variations:
- Combination sum (with and without duplicates)
- Letter case permutation
- Palindrome partitioning
Code template
Blog 5: Constraint Satisfaction Pattern
- Sudoku solver (famous backtracking case)
- N-Queens revisited (constraint-heavy example)
- Word search in a grid
- General CSP approach
Blog 6: Path Search & Maze Pattern
- Find all paths in a maze
- Rat in a maze
- Word search II (dictionary + trie + backtracking)
- Knight’s Tour problem
- Template for grid-based backtracking
Blog 7: Decision Tree Pattern
- Expression add operators (insert + - * )
- Generate valid parentheses
- Restore IP addresses
- General decision-tree backtracking
Blog 8: Bitmask + Backtracking Hybrid
- Using bitmasks for optimization
- Subset generation with bitmask + recursion
- TSP (Traveling Salesman) with bitmask + backtracking
Blog 9: Optimization with Pruning
- When to prune (early exits, bounds)
- N-Queens optimization
- Branch and Bound overview
- Case study: Solving with pruning vs without
Blog 10: Master Template + Cheat Sheet
- Universal backtracking template
- Decision-making flowchart: "Subset, Permutation, Combination, Path, Constraint"
- Complexity analysis across patterns
- Interview takeaways + practice set
👉 Each blog will have:
- Concept & Pattern Recognition (when to use it)
- Pseudocode + Java Template
- Examples with step-by-step recursion trees
- Common variations in interviews
- Practice problems (LeetCode/FAANG tags)
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