Backtracking is a technique used to solve constraint satisfaction problems, where you explore all potential solutions and backtrack if a constraint is violated. It's commonly applied in puzzles like Sudoku, N-Queens, or maze-solving problems. The idea behind backtracking is to build a solution incrementally, checking at each step whether the current partial solution is valid. If it is, you continue; if not, you backtrack by undoing the last step and trying a different path. In TypeScript, backtracking can be implemented using recursion, where the function explores one path of the solution at a time, and upon failure, it 'backtracks' to explore alternative paths. The key to efficient backtracking is pruning, where invalid paths are detected as early as possible, reducing the number of possibilities to explore. Backtracking is not limited to puzzles; it's used in combinatorial optimization problems, decision-making algorithms, and even AI for solving search problems. By implementing backtracking in TypeScript, you can solve a wide range of problems that require exploring multiple possibilities with constraints.