Roboku
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Case 41: who took the Inca Quipu?
At 5:05 this morning, the alarm went off at the museum. After the authorities and the venue's staff arrived, an inventory was carried out, and it turned out that the Inca Quipu, which had been on display in the Reception Area, was missing. Help the police unmask the thief.
The board
- 1Restoration Room
- 2Exhibition Hall
- 3Office
- 4Café
- 5Archive
- 6Security Room
- 7Cloakroom
- 8Workshop
- 9Reception Area
- 10Inner Courtyard
- 11Restrooms
- 12Main Hall
- Plant: no character can stand on its cell, but the stolen item can be there.
- Seat: anyone can be on it.
- Shelf: no character can stand on its cell, but the stolen item can be there.
- Table: nothing can be on its cell.
- Screen: nothing can be on its cell.
Suspects and clues
- JJavier
He's 5 rows away from the Café. - TTariq
He's in row 8. - SSven
He's 6 columns away from the Security Room and 1 column away from the Restoration Room. - NNoah
He's next to a table. - HHana
She's in the Archive. - ZZara
She's 4 columns away from the Exhibition Hall. - YYusuf
He's in a corner. - GGrace
She's in the Restrooms and 4 columns away from the Security Room. - KKenji
He's right next to the Inner Courtyard. - IInca Quipu (stolen item)
It's in column F.
Remember the rules: no two suspects (nor the item) ever share a row or a column, each character is in a different room, and the thief is the only one sharing a room with the stolen item. Unsure? Read how to play and the clue types.
Solution
Try it yourself first: pen and paper are enough. When you want to check, open the reasoned solution.
Show the step-by-step solution
- Javier's clue: He's 5 rows away from the Café. It leaves a single cell: H2.
- Tariq's clue: He's in row 8. 8 cells remain possible.
- Sven's clue: He's 6 columns away from the Security Room and 1 column away from the Restoration Room. It leaves a single cell: B6.
- Noah's clue: He's next to a table. It leaves a single cell: A9.
- Hana's clue: She's in the Archive. 2 cells remain possible: J3 and J4.
- Zara's clue: She's 4 columns away from the Exhibition Hall. It leaves a single cell: E1.
- Yusuf's clue: He's in a corner. 53 cells remain possible.
- Grace's clue: She's in the Restrooms and 4 columns away from the Security Room. It leaves a single cell: C3.
- Kenji's clue: He's right next to the Inner Courtyard. 12 cells remain possible.
- The stolen item's clue: It's in column F. 10 cells remain possible.
- Javier can only be on H2. No one else can be in row 2 or column H, and no other character can be in the Exhibition Hall.
- Sven can only be on B6. No one else can be in row 6 or column B, and no other character can be in the Cloakroom.
- Noah can only be on A9. No one else can be in row 9 or column A, and no other character can be in the Workshop.
- Zara can only be on E1. No one else can be in row 1 or column E, and no other character can be in the Main Hall.
- Grace can only be on C3. No one else can be in row 3 or column C, and no other character can be in the Restrooms.
- J3 has already been ruled out, so Hana can only be on J4. No one else can be in row 4 or column J, and no other character can be in the Archive.
- Every cell still open to Tariq is in row 8, so no one else can be in that row.
- Every cell still open to Kenji is in row 10, so no one else can be in that row.
- Every cell still open to the Inca Quipu is in column F, so no one else can be in that column.
- Every other cell the clue allowed has already been ruled out, so Kenji can only be on D10. No one else can be in row 10 or column D, and no other character can be in the Office.
- The item must share its room with one character: the thief. No character can be in the Restoration Room any more, so the Inca Quipu isn't there either.
- Every other cell the clue allowed has already been ruled out, so the Inca Quipu can only be on F5. No one else can be in row 5 or column F.
- The Inca Quipu can only be in the Café, and Yusuf is the only character who can still get in there. Since the thief shares a room with the item, Yusuf must be in the Café.
- Every other cell the clue allowed has already been ruled out, so Yusuf can only be on G7. No one else can be in row 7 or column G, and no other character can be in the Café.
- B8, D8, E8, F8, G8, H8 and J8 have already been ruled out, so Tariq can only be on I8.
Conclusion: Yusuf is the only person sharing the Café with the Inca Quipu, which is on F5. He is the thief.