Ink Blotting

One method for escaping from a maze is via ‘ink-blotting’. In this method your starting square

is marked with the number ‘1’. All free, valid squares north, south, east and west around the

number ‘1‘ are marked with a number ‘2’. In the next step, all free, valid squares around the two

are marked with a ‘3’ and the process is repeated iteratively until :

 The exit is found (a free square other than the starting position is reached on the very edge

of the maze), or,

 No more free squares are available, and hence no exit is possible.