Patron Puzzle: Tapa Distiller by Serkan Yürekli
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode, a number entry mode for placing Tapa clues, and the composite Yajilin mode where left click marks cells, right click marks dots in cells or X’s on edges, left click+drag draws lines.)
Theme: Plus (This variation was written for Chris Green, one of our Super Grandmaster patrons)
Author/Opus: This is the 61st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.
Rules: Variation of Tapa rules. Distribute each number clue at the top into the same spot in one of the four blank grids, so that the grids can then be solved as four Tapa puzzles.
Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the maximum number of cells that are shaded in that row in any of the solved grids. Enter the values as a single string (e.g., “56734452”).
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 18:00, Master = 30:00, Expert = 1:00:00
Solution: PDF
Note: Follow this link for other Tapa variations and this link for classic Tapa. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Tapa puzzles to get started on.
This was brutal, but I prevailed in the end. (Though for a moment I was worried I hadn’t, because I had misremembered the answer string directions as asking for the longest consecutive shaded area in each row.)
I agree. That was really brutal. I can’t really say I prevailed. Twice I hit a contradiction, and peeked at the solution to correct a single misplaced clue. Even with those two cheats to avoid restarts, this still took me well over an hour.
That’s an extraordinarily impressive construction. Thanks!
I can’t see how to break in.
Someone can give me a hint ?
Sure. Here’s what I did to get started on this one:
Svefg, yrg’f qrsvar gjb pryyf nf “vapbzncgvoyr” vs gurl pnaabg or
fvzhygnarbhfyl fngfvsvrq jvguva gur fnzr qrfgvangvba tevq.
Zl nggragvba jnf vavgvnyyl qenja gb gur nern orybj naq gb gur
evtug bs gur cyhf, (gur guerr pyhrf gung rnpu unir sbhe barf
ybbxrq cebzvfvat gb or irel pbafgenvarq). Znal bs gur pyhrf va
guvf nern ner vapbzcngvoyr jvgu zhygvcyr nqwnprag pyhrf. Fb vg’f
rnfl gb cynpr pyhrf vagb guerr bs gur tevqf, ohg zhpu uneqre gb
svaq n frg bs pyhrf gung ner sbeprq vagb nyy sbhe bs gur frcnengr
tevqf.
V svanyyl sbhaq gur fgneg ol pbafvqrevat gur sbhe pryyf va gur
gjb-ol-gjb obk sebz sebz ebj fvk, pbyhza svir gb ebj frira,
pbyhza fvk. Gur “bar, gjb, gjb” naq gur “fvk” pyhr pna rnpu or
gevivnyyl qrgrezvarq gb or vapbzcngvoyr jvgu gur bgure guerr
pyhrf. Nf V qrfpevorq nobir, gung nyybjf guerr pyhrf gb or
cynprq, ohg abg gur rffragvny sbhegu pyhr gb ernyyl trg fgnegrq
ba gur chmmyr. Gur dhrfgvba vf jurgure gur cnve bs
qvntbanyyl-nqwnprag “sbhe barf” pryyf pna or cynprq va gur fnzr
tevq.
Ng svefg, V gubhtug gurfr gjb pryyf jrer pbzcngvoyr. Gjb fhpu
pyhrf shyyl va gur vagrevbe bs gur tevq jbhyq or. Ohg jvgu gur
pyhr ng ebj frira, pbyhza fvk whfg bar pryy njnl sebz gur tevq’f
obeqre, gurer vf bayl bar jnl gb fngvfsl guvf pyhr naq nyybj sbe
pbaarpgvivgl, (anzryl, gur pryy ng ejb rvtug, pbyhza frira pnaabg
or funqrq). Gung znxrf guvf pryy vapbzcngvoyr jvgu gur bgure
“sbhe barf” pyhr ng ebj fvk, pbyhza svir.
Jvgu gung vafvtug, gur sbhe pryyf va guvf gjb-ol-gjb obk, (gur
cnve bs “sbhe barf” pyhrf naq gur nqwnprag “bar, gjb, gjb” naq
“fvk”), pna rnpu or cynprq vagb gurve bja tevq.
I hope that was helpful. I would be curious to know if anyone
found a different starting point for the puzzle.
V fgnegrq jvgu gur svir pyhr ba gur yrsg jnyy; vg naq guerr arneol fdhnerf pna or dhvpxyl fubja gb nyy or zhghnyyl vapbzcngvoyr. V jnfa’g noyr gb rkgraq irel sne sebz gurer naq riraghnyyl zbirq ba gb gur oernx-va lbh qrfpevorq, naq jnf noyr gb zngpu gur sbhe tevqf sebz gung ertvba gb gur barf V’q fgnegrq ba gur ybjre yrsg.
V fgnegrq ol svaqvat n frg bs sbhe vapbzcngvoyr pyhrf, naq gura tenqhnyyl, bar ol bar, xrcg svaqvat pyhrf gung jrer bayl pbzcngvoyr jvgu bar bs gur sbhe tevqf. Vg jnfa’g gevivny, ohg vg jnf zhpu rnfvre naq zber sha guna V nagvpvcngrq.
I did something similar to Carl. Fgnegvat jvgu gur zvqqyr 7, vg’f rnfl gb frr gung gur sbhe barf qverpgyl orybj vg, naq vgf arvtuobevat fvk, ner nyy “vapbzcngvoyr”. Nsgre n juvyr V sbhaq gung gur bgure sbhe-barf pyhr (fnzr nf va Pney’f rknzcyr) jnf nyfb vapbzcngvoyr gb gubfr guerr.
Va ergebfcrpg, V cebonoyl fubhyq unir fgnegrq jvgu gur cnve bs sbhe-barf pyhrf naq gura oenapurq bhg sebz gurer.
Wait, no, that can’t be right. It must have been gur guerr sbhe-barf pyhrf, cyhf gur fvk.
Thanks for supporting GMPuzzles so that another Tapa Distiller could happen, and thanks to Serkan for writing this!
@Grizix: I’ve barely gotten started myself, but I would keep my eye out for places where you know two clue cells have to go into two separate grids. I don’t know which ones to start with exactly, but check out clues that only have one or two possible combinations of shaded cells to start.
Just solved it at 12:35am 1/1/2015 CST. Still 2014 somewhere (at least PST). This was the hardest puzzle for me in 2014 (of those in the public set of GMPuzzles). Nicely done, Serkan Yürekli!
With that solve, I have completed every posted puzzle of 2014.