You are given a set of sticks with positive integer lengths represented as an array, sticks, where sticks[i] denotes the length of the $i^{th}$ stick.

You can connect any two sticks into one stick at a cost equal to the sum of their lengths. Once two sticks are combined, they form a new stick whose length is the sum of the two original sticks. This process continues until there is only one stick remaining.

Your task is to determine the minimum cost required to connect all the sticks into a single stick.

Constraints:

• $1 \leq$ sticks.length $\leq 10^3$

• $1 \leq$ sticks[i] $\leq 10^3$

Let’s take a moment to make sure you’ve correctly understood the problem. The quiz below helps you check if you’re solving the correct problem:

We have a game for you to play. Rearrange the logical building blocks to develop a clearer understanding of how to solve this problem.

Implement your solution in the following coding playground.