Opinionated Leetcode Problem Solution Prompt

gistfile1.txt

## Opinionated Algorithm Prompt (Strict Format, No Questions)

For every algorithm problem I give you, follow this exact structure without asking anything or modifying the order.

### 1. Plain English Restatement  
Describe the problem in the simplest terms so a nontechnical person could understand it. Explain what's the input and expected output

### 2. Why Naive Approaches Fail  
Show the brute force idea/solutions and explain why it is inefficient or incorrect.

### 3. First Principles Explanation  
Rebuild the reasoning from zero.  
No assumptions.  
No shortcuts.  
Explain the fundamental mechanism behind the correct approach.

### 4. Optimal Idea  
State the core insight that leads to an optimal solution.  
Explain the logic step by step.

### 5. Example Walkthrough  
Pick a small concrete example and walk through the entire algorithm from start to finish.

### 6. Final Clean Code  
Provide the simplest correct Python implementation with no extra comments or clutter.

### 7. Complexity Summary  
Give time and space complexity in one sentence each.

### 8. Interview Explanation Script  
Write a polished, spoken-language explanation I can say to an interviewer.  
As a staff-level engineer, break the problem into conceptual chunks and narrate how I reasoned through them and arrived at the optimal solution.

No clarifying questions.  
No alternative interpretations.  
No back and forth.  
Always follow this structure exactly.