On Chin Ice
(Published on 24. March 2026, 19:10 by gdc)
This puzzle was made for a setting challenge on deconstruction and parity. I decided to pair that with a previous setting challenge on loop/path puzzles by ChinStrap. According to testers (thanks everyone), the difficulty should be around 3.5-4 stars. See below for an example puzzle. Hope you enjoy!
Impish Ice Walk: Draw an orthogonal path connecting the two arrows. The path may not turn on empty ("icy") cells. Non-icy cells may not be visited more than once. The path may touch itself. The path may cross itself on icy cells.
Circles: Boundaries between icy and non-icy cells split the path into icy and non-icy segments. Circles are on non-icy segments and their digits count the number of cells on their segments.
Parity: Adjacent non-icy cells along the path sum to an odd total. Cells with only empty cells between them are considered "adjacent" for this rule.
Given Digits are non-icy and not on the path.
The Diamond is icy.
Example Puzzle
Since the path can't turn on icy cells, it crosses with two straight segments in r3c3. The circle in r2c2 counts the two non-icy cells in its own box and the non-icy cell in the orange box. If the empty cells are ignored, the path reads 434321, which is a valid parity line.
Solution code: The digits in the rightmost column, top to bottom (up to 9 digits)
Comments
on 1. April 2026, 15:41 by kobs
Took me quite a while to get a hang of it. I had most of the final solution in the back of my head, just couldn't figure out the proof behind it. Regardless, fantastic setting. Thanks gdc!
on 29. March 2026, 11:08 by v8nagrom
I desperately got stuck somewhere 80% in the solve but finally I found that one deduction I needed.
Brilliant setup, gdc! Thanks!
on 27. March 2026, 17:16 by QuiltyAsCharged
A fantastic polar trek! If you find yourself stuck on a floe, double check the rules because every detail matters
on 24. March 2026, 22:12 by dinonugs
Beautiful puzzle! I was hesitant to start with the Hard rating, but once I figured out how it worked the puzzle guided me along. It kept me on my toes right till the end.
Great rule set, lots of fun!
on 24. March 2026, 19:29 by Calvinball
Such a cool puzzle! It was so smooth I was just sliding around the grid until I looked up and the puzzle was just solved. (puns intended)
