Mastering the Pattern

Problem solving is the art of recognizing a known algorithmic pattern within a novel, complex requirement. It is what separates the coder from the engineer.

Here, we focus on the competitive programming mindset—recognizing when to use Two Pointers, when a Sliding Window is optimal, and how to break down hard LeetCode problems into solvable sub-components.

The Toolkit

• Two Pointers & Sliding Window: Mastering linear efficiency.
• Binary Search: Solving for the answer in a monotonic space.
• Backtracking: Exploring the state space tree with surgical precision.
• Greedy & DP: Making optimal choices, one step at a time.