A figure with Heesch number 6: pushing a two-decade-old boundary (Q6169273)

The Heesch number of a given figure \(T\) is defined as the maximal nonnegative integer \(n\) such that \(T\) can be completely surrounded by congruent copies of itself \(n\) times; if such a maximal number does not exist, we say that the Heesch number is infinite. The famous conjecture states that for any \(n\) the exist plane figure \(T_n\) with finite Heesch number greater than \(n\). Previously were known only plane figures with Heesch numbers \(\leq 5\) and \(\infty\). In the paper, a plane figure with Heesch number 6 is constructed.