Cave by Ashish Kumar
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)
Theme: Propeller
Author/Opus: This is the 5th puzzle from guest contributor Ashish Kumar.
Rules: Standard Cave rules.
Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the cave segments from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:00, Master = 7:15, Expert = 14:30
Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.
Note: Follow this link for other classic Caves. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cave Puzzles to get started on. More Cave puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles and in Roger Barkan’s Colossal Cave Collection.
I recognize that I am not very skilled at solving Caves – but I found this one to be very, very hard. I needed to make lots of “well, let’s see what happens if this square is in the cave” attempts. I suppose that’s what I get for avoiding solving tips!
Done.
It was definitely a challenging Cave puzzle. I know I learned a few new tricks in solving this one. I used one technique in particular again and again while solving, and if I hadn’t clued into that technique, this puzzle would have been absolutely brutal.