I just want to point out that the "fewest rooms" and "exactly" are two different numbers. If the fewest rooms X needs to pass through is 2, then passing through 3 rooms is a valid answer. If they are passing through exactly 2 rooms, then 2 rooms is it. Great puzzles! Thanks!
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Hi Historian, great spot — that one little word completely changes the logic!
The way I read it as a solver: "exactly 2 rooms" pins the count down, so 2 is the only valid answer. But "the fewest rooms X needs to pass through is 2" only tells you the minimum — 2 is the floor, and a route through 3 rooms doesn't contradict that clue on its own. So the two phrasings genuinely give you different information, and mixing them up can send your deductions down the wrong path.
As someone who builds web apps, this really resonates — in interface copy I've learned the hard way that tiny qualifier words ("exactly", "fewest", "at least") do enormous work. Puzzle clues are no different: keeping the qualifier glued to the number keeps everything fair for the solver.
Thanks for flagging it — precise wording is what makes these puzzles so satisfying to crack. Great puzzles indeed!
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