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Case 53: who took the Royal Opal?
The alarm at the museum went off for no apparent reason for the third time this month, so almost no one paid attention. That was a mistake: this time the Royal Opal, kept in the Storage Room, really was missing. Help the police unmask the thief, who clearly knew exactly when no one checks the cameras.
The board
- 1Restrooms
- 2Café
- 3Restoration Room
- 4Archive
- 5Reception Area
- 6Storage Room
- 7Inner Courtyard
- 8Main Hall
- 9Security Room
- 10Cloakroom
- 11Workshop
- 12Exhibition 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
- DDiego
He's 3 rows away from the Restoration Room. - JJavier
He's in row 11. - ZZara
She's next to a screen and in column H. - EEsteban
He's in the Exhibition Hall. - FFarah
She's in the Main Hall. - NNoah
He's in a corner. - GGustavo
He's 4 rows away from the Exhibition Hall and in column B. - TTariq
He's 3 columns away from the Restoration Room. - IIvan
He's 10 columns away from the Archive. - RRoyal Opal (stolen item)
It's right next to the Cloakroom and 4 columns away from the Inner Courtyard.
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
- Diego's clue: He's 3 rows away from the Restoration Room. It leaves a single cell: I6.
- Javier's clue: He's in row 11. 9 cells remain possible.
- Zara's clue: She's next to a screen and in column H. It leaves a single cell: H9.
- Esteban's clue: He's in the Exhibition Hall. 8 cells remain possible.
- Farah's clue: She's in the Main Hall. 6 cells remain possible: L9, L10, J11, K11, L11 and J12.
- Noah's clue: He's in a corner. 56 cells remain possible.
- Gustavo's clue: He's 4 rows away from the Exhibition Hall and in column B. It leaves a single cell: B5.
- Tariq's clue: He's 3 columns away from the Restoration Room. 2 cells remain possible: F2 and F3.
- Ivan's clue: He's 10 columns away from the Archive. It leaves a single cell: K1.
- The stolen item's clue: It's right next to the Cloakroom and 4 columns away from the Inner Courtyard. 3 cells remain possible: A6, C7 and D8.
- Diego can only be on I6. No one else can be in row 6 or column I, and no other character can be in the Inner Courtyard.
- Zara can only be on H9. No one else can be in row 9 or column H, and no other character can be in the Café.
- Gustavo can only be on B5. No one else can be in row 5 or column B, and no other character can be in the Archive.
- Ivan can only be on K1. No one else can be in row 1 or column K, and no other character can be in the Workshop.
- Every cell still open to Javier is in row 11, so no one else can be in that row.
- Every cell still open to Esteban is in the Exhibition Hall, so no other character can be there.
- Every cell still open to Farah is in the Main Hall, so no other character can be there.
- B11, D11, E11, G11, H11, J11, K11 and L11 have already been ruled out, so Javier can only be on A11. No one else can be in row 11 or column A, and no other character can be in the Cloakroom.
- Every cell still open to Tariq is in column F, so no one else can be in that column.
- Esteban and Tariq can only be in rows 2 and 3. Each takes a different row, so those rows are theirs and no one else can use them.
- Every cell still open to Noah is in column J, so no one else can be in that column.
- L9, J11, K11, L11 and J12 have already been ruled out, so Farah can only be on L10. No one else can be in row 10 or column L, and no other character can be in the Main Hall.
- Every other cell the clue allowed has already been ruled out, so Noah can only be on J7. No one else can be in row 7 or column J, and no other character can be in the Reception Area.
- A6 and C7 have already been ruled out, so the Royal Opal can only be on D8. No one else can be in row 8 or column D.
- B1, C1, D1, E1, F1, D2 and D3 have already been ruled out, so Esteban can only be on E2. No one else can be in row 2 or column E, and no other character can be in the Exhibition Hall.
- F2 has already been ruled out, so Tariq can only be on F3.
Conclusion: Zara is the only person sharing the Café with the Royal Opal, which is on D8. She is the thief.