How do I fix my magic square program in Java that skips the number 2?

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4

Great! Now let’s test it. For n = 3, the expected output should be:

2 7 6  
9 5 1  
4 3 8

:white_check_mark: After applying the fix, the correct output is generated.

Alternative Approach: Using a Different Algorithm

Instead of manually managing the movement, you could track the last position and derive the next position using a helper function:

private static int[] getNextPosition(int[][] square, int row, int col) {
    int newRow = (row - 1 + square.length) % square.length;
    int newCol = (col + 1) % square.length;

    return square[newRow][newCol] == 0 ? new int[]{newRow, newCol} : new int[]{row + 1, col};
}

Then inside the loop:

int[] next = getNextPosition(magicSquare, row, column);
row = next[0];
column = next[1];

This keeps the logic modular and easier to debug.