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Case 54: who took the Ancient Mask?
This morning, the staff at the theater found that the Ancient Mask, kept in the Office, is no longer where it should be. No one remembers seeing a stranger come in, so the thief must be one of the people already inside. Help the police unmask them.
The board
- 1Office
- 2Café
- 3Orchestra Pit
- 4Props Room
- 5Makeup Room
- 6Stage
- 7Dressing Room
- 8Storage Room
- 9Private Box
- 10Box Office
- 11Costume Room
- 12Rehearsal Room
- 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
- IIvan
He's 6 rows away from the Props Room. - ZZara
She's on a seat. - WWendy
She's 3 rows away from the Makeup Room. - FFarah
She's 6 columns away from the Box Office. - KKenji
He's 6 columns away from the Stage. - HHugo
He's in the Rehearsal Room. - PPriya
She's 9 rows away from the Private Box. - CChidi
He's next to a screen. - AAncient Mask (stolen item)
It's in a potted plant.
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
- Ivan's clue: He's 6 rows away from the Props Room. It leaves a single cell: G2.
- Zara's clue: She's on a seat. It leaves a single cell: E5.
- Wendy's clue: She's 3 rows away from the Makeup Room. 2 cells remain possible: A6 and B6.
- Farah's clue: She's 6 columns away from the Box Office. It leaves a single cell: J10.
- Kenji's clue: He's 6 columns away from the Stage. 3 cells remain possible: A1, A2 and A3.
- Hugo's clue: He's in the Rehearsal Room. 6 cells remain possible: K1, L1, I2, J2, K2 and L2.
- Priya's clue: She's 9 rows away from the Private Box. It leaves a single cell: F12.
- Chidi's clue: He's next to a screen. 5 cells remain possible: I8, H9, A10, B11 and A12.
- The stolen item's clue: It's in a potted plant. It leaves a single cell: L9.
- Ivan can only be on G2. No one else can be in row 2 or column G, and no other character can be in the Stage.
- Zara can only be on E5.
- Farah can only be on J10. No one else can be in row 10 or column J, and no other character can be in the Dressing Room.
- Priya can only be on F12. No one else can be in row 12 or column F, and no other character can be in the Box Office.
- The Ancient Mask can only be on L9. No one else can be in row 9 or column L.
- L1, I2, J2, K2 and L2 have already been ruled out, so Hugo can only be on K1. No one else can be in row 1 or column K, and no other character can be in the Rehearsal Room.
- A1 and A2 have already been ruled out, so Kenji can only be on A3. No one else can be in row 3 or column A, and no other character can be in the Makeup Room.
- A6 has already been ruled out, so Wendy can only be on B6.
- H9, A10, B11 and A12 have already been ruled out, so Chidi can only be on I8.
Conclusion: Farah is the only person sharing the Dressing Room with the Ancient Mask, which is on L9. She is the thief.