This puzzle (available here) is pretty much a grind through it puzzle. We finished in about 1h27m.

I usually hate logic puzzles that require guessing/branching instead of strictly logical steps.  But I got very used to using those tactics with these. Our log is after the cut.

Log:

0:00:00

Opening puzzle

0:00:40

Printing. definitely needs printing.

0:02:04

J: So there are 2 ways to make a 1x1, 3 ways to make a 1x2 and 6 ways to make a 1x3. That gives 26 squares but we only have 5x5 grids. So you won’t use both 1x1s.

0:03:12

J: It’s easy to tell which by counting the number of black and white squares. The 1x1 is probably the letter you pick.

0:03:23

grid 2, there’s only one 3B and one 3W. easy in.

0:03:51

we’re dividing them up. no reason to cooperate.

0:08:03

Solved #2.

0:12:01

J solved 1, I solved 3. we have ONE so far.

0:15:47

Solved 4. M. we have ONEM

0:18:17

Solved 9, R

0:19:13

J: 21T

0:22:47

10I

0:26:45

6R

0:35:39

got 12 U (after struggling with 8 for 6 minutes)

0:36:53

14 P  [This grid was ambiguous, and P was the wrong letter. May have slowed down our wheel-of-fortune-ing some.]

0:40:41

24P, 18C.

0:41:45

J: I figured the pulled out letters would make a new 5x5 square and it would have to be solved the same way. But there aren’t 3 blacks in a row.

0:47:21

17A

0:50:10

11D. A quick note: my solving method is: hopefully a force 1x3 (two, if lucky.) then brute force bifurcation, focusing on the color with only 12, since it can’t have a single.

0:51:11

J: I think it starts ONE MORE GRID

1:00:36

Struggled with 23, finally got I

1:01:29

Could end BLACK STRIPE

1:02:18

we’ll assume BLACK for now and not solve those

1:05:04

13 S. maybe 14 is E

1:06:02

14 is ambiguously P or E. J thinks: ONE MORE GRID USE BLACK STRIPS [J is correct, well done Jonathan!]

1:06:47

J: the black ones are ONMOIDSEACSTR

1:10:56

Maybe we have to put the letters where they came from in their original grid, not where their grid is in the big 5x5  [Well done, Eric. Key aha]

1:11:37

J: or what’s in the 1x3 black strips

1:15:48

No conflicts in the “which square did they come from” meethod so far. .u.A. iC.D. MISe. N.r.E Op.r.

1:16:38

We only need the black letters, so we need to solve 5 20 21 22 

1:16:58

J has more. now we have su.Ab iC.D. MISeg NSr.E Op.rl

1:19:59

Apparently we have all 12 black squares now. su.Ab iC.DO MISeg NSrTE Op.rl where the dots have to be white.

1:21:36

No, there are 13 black squares.

1:24:22

The R from 22 goes top row, middle.

1:24:28

Solving the last grid. suRAb iCkDO MISeg NSrTE Operl

1:26:57

J guessed DOMINO, CORRECT! [I was almost done solving the final grid. He just guessed from eyeballing the black letters. I got the brute force work mostly, J got the educated guessing role.]