
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
A square box of chocolates is divided into 49 equal square cells. Each cell contains a chocolate - either black or white. In one sitting, Sasha can eat two chocolates if they are of the same color and lie in adjacent cells by side or by corner. What is the maximum number of chocolates that Sasha can be guaranteed to eat, no matter how the chocolates are arranged in the box?

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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