Q: What is the need for backward propagation?

A: In the case of CRYPT Arithmetic puzzles, and also in few real world
PERCEPTUAL LABELLING PROBLEMS, the goal would be to find out a PROBLEM STATE that
would SATISFY the Constraints.
That means discover a problem state that satisfies the conditions.
Constraint Satisfaction is a method of searching. It works within a space of
constraint sets or a group of conditions.
Constraint Satisfaction Problems or CSP can be represented by its constraint
graph and has variables with constraints on them. Many real world problems can be
described as CSPs.

2.8 Backtracking search for CSP

Comutativity: A Problem is commutative if the order of application of any
given set of actions has no effect on the outcome. Which means the outcome will not
change even if you change the order of actions. For example, in a construction
industry, while building a shopping complex, after the foundation, the walls can be
built in any order the outcome or result will not change whether you build the
eastern side wall first or the western side wall first.Another example, at the root
node of a search tree for map coloring Australian states, there may be choices
between SA=red, SA=green and SA=blue but we would not choose between SA=red and
WA=blue. The number of leaves is dn (= d power n).
It uses depth first search with backtracking to choose values for one
variable at a time and backtracks upon hitting illegal values.

Ordering Variable and Value:

Forward checking
Constraint checking
Handling special constraints

And Local search for CSP

Triangle Inequality,
Once when the solution is not found go back and change the search path.
2.9 Structure of problems
Problem structure for a sample problem of Tick Tack Toe:

X O
O X O
X X

In the above case, the first player using the X wins by joining three Xs along the
diagonal

The game described: Tick Tack Toe is played between two players one uses letter X
and other letter O. Each take a turn and they can place their letter (X or O) any
where amidst the 9 squares as long as it is vacant. The player who gets three same
letters along the horizontal, vertical or diagonal wins the game.

Given below are few other combinations (Either winning or a DRAW):

Draw:
X O X
O X X
X O O

X Wins (For simplicity, we shall call the payer using letter X as X and the player
using O as O)
O
X X X
O O
O Wins:
O X
X O
O X O

Here is a case where O is guaranteed to win no matter where X fills in next:

O X X
O O

Now the next turn is for X, but O has got three boxes left to fill to win if X
fills in row 2, column 3, then O can enter a O in row 3, column 1 and win. If X
fills a X in row 3, Column 1, then O can fill a O in row 2, Column 3 and still win
a guaranteed win in either way. See illustration below:
X attempts Row 2, Column 3:
O X X
O O X

O wins by filling in row 3, column 1:

O X X
O O X
O

X attempts row 3, Column1:

O X X
O O
X
O wins by filling in row 2, Column 3:
O X X
O O O
X

2.10 Adversarial Search