T-057: s(211)≤14.99796070496771500150<15, the first packing of 211 squares below the grid on record

V3 C3 Upper bound confirmed superseded by T-188

2026-09-16 published · de Winter · n=211

s(211)≤14.99796070496771500150 < 15, by de Winter's packing of 16 September 2026: 211 unit squares in a square of that side. It is the first packing of 211 squares below the 15×15 grid on record, so s(k^2 - k + 1) < k, shown in the Kingbird catalogue for k = 16, 17 and 18 (n=241, 273 and 307), holds for k = 15 as well.

The source gives 21-digit poses and the author's report of an outward interval check at 80 digits; it publishes no interval boxes or checker.

The bound is certified here twice, by methods that share no geometry code. The first is an exact rational packing, the source's pose rounded to rationals at centre dilation 1, of side 74989803524838470007/5000000000000000000, 2.1e-14 below the printed side, decided pair by pair and wall by wall over Q by two checkers that share no code. The second is outward-rounded interval arithmetic on the source's own pose as printed, which lies in the printed square as placed with least wall clearance 1.000005e-14 and least pair gap 2.10001e-14, the values the source reports.

de Winter, JoostdeWinter/square-packing-211. The source says nothing about AI assistance.

Significance, composition and next rung
Significance
A count whose best known packing was the trivial grid now has one below it. On the Kingbird catalogue and this record, which show s(k^2 - k + 1) < k at n=241, 273 and 307 (k = 16 to 18) and hold the grid at n=31 to 183 (k = 6 to 14), the smallest k shown to satisfy it drops from 16 to 15. S3 by the anchor "a substantive case result"; the margin, about 0.002, changes nothing beyond this count. Confirmed on 11 October beside T-135 (S3), the packing of 308 squares below the grid: one new packing below an integer side.
Next rung
V4 and C4 need two adversarial AI reviews by distinct reviewers of the complete claim and a human oversight record; the same-project reviews of each route (2026-09-29 and 2026-09-30) are not recorded in this entry's reviews. The source's own 80-digit interval run stays unreplayed until it publishes its boxes or checker; this record no longer depends on it.
Novelty
previously-published Present in an identified source

The case

Case record
Regularized by the Squares Project with Daniel's regularizer (evand/square-packing, MIT)
As published
The packing as published, Ostashev 2026 [Couzo verified bounds 2026-10-14]

n=211

14.5414.994
141516
14.52615.526
nn+1

Proven

14.54457≤s(211)≤14.993550

  • exact

Citation record n-211

lowerKarakuş 2026, arXiv corrects Nagamochi 2005 (confirmed T-083)

upperOstashev & Couzo, GitHub (confirmed T-188)

Open

  • optimality

The case record

LowerUpper
Gap0.44897772…

Results on the case

13 results in the register on n=211, oldest first, each with what it established and how it stands now.

  1. 2005 published T-007

    s(n)≥min(⌈n⌉,n−2⌊n⌋+1+1) for 4≤n≤324

    V0 C1 Lower bound incomplete on this case, superseded by T-083 and T-180 (reported)

    Nagamochi · Nagamochi 2005 · source · register

  2. 2026-09-04 published T-085

    Nagamochi 2005, Lemma 1 is false for every container with a>3 and b>2

    V3 C3 Correction confirmed

    Karakuş; Vlasenko · Karakuş 2026 · chelokot Nagamochi counterexample 2026 · packet · register

  3. 2026-09-16 published T-057 this result

    s(211)≤14.99796070496771500150<15, the first packing of 211 squares below the grid on record

    V3 C3 Upper bound confirmed superseded by T-188

    de Winter · de Winter n211 2026-09-16 · packet · register

  4. 2026-09-29 published T-083

    s(n)≥1/2+n−⌊n⌋+1/4 for every nonsquare 8≤n≤324

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed

    Karakuş · Karakuş 2026 · source · register

  5. 2026-10-05 published T-098

    Exact optima of 48 known-best packings: s(n) ≤ S', 3.5e-13 to 5.0e-11 below each printed side

    V3 C3 Upper bound confirmed on this case, superseded by T-188

    Daniel after Couzo, de Winter, Ellsworth, Levy · evand exact optima 2026-10-05 · packet · register

  6. 2026-10-11 published T-149

    New packings of 155, 156 and 211 squares, each with an exact rational certificate

    V3 C3 Upper bound confirmed superseded by T-188

    Ostashev after Nakajima, Levy, Xu · Ostashev records 2026-10-11 · packet · register

  7. 2026-10-12 published T-163

    s(n² − n + 1) < n for every n ≥ 15, and n² − n + F(n) squares below side n, from Fang

    V2 C1 Upper bound reviewed superseded by T-188

    Fang after Arslanov, Mustafin, Shangitbayev, Ellsworth, Stead, de Winter, Daniel, Couzo · Fang excess theorem 2026-10-13 · packet · register

  8. 2026-10-13 published T-174

    Tighter certificates at 68 counts from PingYou Ltd, of others' packings and its own

    V3 C3 Upper bound confirmed on this case, superseded by T-188

    PingYou Ltd after Friedman, Ellsworth, Daniel, Xu, Barnett, Couzo, Ostashev, Chaoweeraprasit, Gupta, Fang, Polkovskyi, Levy · PingYou PR 574 certificates 2026-10-13 · packet · register

  9. 2026-10-13 published T-175

    New packings of 211, 241 and 304 squares, two with merged tilted bands, each certified exactly

    V3 C3 Upper bound confirmed superseded by T-188

    Ostashev after Nakajima, Daniel, de Winter, Couzo, Levy, Xu · Ostashev merged bands 2026-10-13 · packet · register

  10. 2026-10-13 published T-180

    Closed-form lower bound s(N)≥a(N) for every non-square N≥49, reported

    V0 C1 Lower bound reviewed

    Hosono · wand125 closed form 2026-10-14 · packet · packet · register

  11. 2026-10-13 published T-181

    Exact rational certificates at 211, 241 and 302 from Couzo

    V3 C3 Upper bound confirmed superseded by T-188

    Couzo after Daniel, Ostashev, Fang, Ellsworth, Levy; Couzo after Daniel, Ostashev, BuddenPing, Fang, Ellsworth, Levy · Couzo issue-583 certificates 2026-10-13 · Couzo certificates 2026-10-13 · packet · packet · register

  12. 2026-10-13 published T-182

    Exact rational certificates at 154, 211 and 241 from Couzo

    V3 C3 Upper bound confirmed on this case, superseded by T-188

    Couzo after Daniel, Ostashev, BuddenPing, Fang, Ellsworth, Levy · Couzo certificates 2026-10-13 · packet · register

  13. 2026-10-14 published T-188

    A tighter exact certificate for 211 squares from Couzo, of Ostashev's arrangement

    V3 C3 Upper bound confirmed

    Couzo after Ostashev, Daniel, Levy · Couzo verified bounds 2026-10-14 · packet · register