Murder mystery sudoku — the daily cases for 24 July 2026

Every detective in the world got these same crime scenes on 2026-07-24 — each difficulty published twice, once untimed and once as time attack. Each case is procedurally generated and then proved to have exactly one logical solution before it is published, including the cases where somebody is lying. You place every suspect back on the map using only their testimony: exactly one person per row, never two in a column. Whoever is left alone with the victim did it.

Beginner — The Night Express

A 5×5 grid across 3 rooms: Saloon, Corridor, Galley. Seven statements, seven squares nobody could stand on, and enough testimony that the surplus is what pins the last two down.

Cracked by one detective so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

The testimony

What each person said, and how much of the board it rules out.

Bruno was in the saloon car. leaves 10 of 21 squares
Bruno was in column 3. leaves 3 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Bruno: 3 of 21.
Yolanda was in the saloon car. leaves 10 of 21 squares
Helena was in row 4. leaves 5 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Helena: 5 of 21.
Helena was in column 2. leaves 1 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Helena: 1 of 21.
Kaspar was in column 4. leaves 5 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Kaspar: 5 of 21.
Kaspar was in row 3. leaves 1 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Kaspar: 1 of 21.

Show the squares Bruno had left

The squares still open to Bruno once their own statements are taken into account — 3 of 21.

What the testimony settles on its own

Nobody shares a row or a column, so each placement narrows everyone else. Before a single guess:

Bruno can only be in Saloon (row 2, column 3) — down from 3 possible squares.
Yolanda can only be in Saloon (row 1, column 5) — down from 10 possible squares.
Vera can only be in Corridor (row 5, column 1) — down from 21 possible squares.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Helena, in Corridor (row 4, column 2).

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Helena is ringed in red.

Easy — The Night Express

A 6×6 grid across 4 rooms: Galley, Locomotive, Observation, Dining. Nine statements, eight squares nobody could stand on, and enough testimony that the surplus is what pins the last two down.

Cracked by one detective so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

The testimony

What each person said, and how much of the board it rules out.

Lidia was in column 3. leaves 5 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Lidia: 5 of 31.
Lidia was beside the bed. leaves 1 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Lidia: 1 of 31.
Gilda was in the galley. leaves 5 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Gilda: 5 of 31.
Celeste was in the observation car. leaves 6 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Celeste: 6 of 31.
Celeste was in row 2. leaves 1 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Celeste: 1 of 31.
Simon was in the bottom row. leaves 5 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Simon: 5 of 31.
Simon was in column 5. leaves 1 of 31 squares
Marco was in the rightmost column. leaves 6 of 31 squares
Marco was in row 4. leaves 1 of 31 squares

Show the squares Gilda had left

The squares still open to Gilda once their own statements are taken into account — 5 of 31.

What the testimony settles on its own

Nobody shares a row or a column, so each placement narrows everyone else. Before a single guess:

Gilda can only be in Galley (row 5, column 2) — down from 5 possible squares.
Kira can only be in Observation (row 3, column 4) — down from 31 possible squares.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Celeste, in Observation (row 2, column 1).

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Celeste is ringed in red.

Medium — The Night Express

A 7×7 grid across 5 rooms: Galley, Platform, Dining, Corridor, Baggage. Eight statements, thirteen squares nobody could stand on, and no assumption anywhere: elimination alone closes it.

Cracked by one detective so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

Lettered squares are objects. Most take the square out of play — which is why the counts above are of free squares, not of all of them — but the ones marked below do not: their square is still in play. A — armchair (square stays free) · B — bed (square stays free) · CA — carpet (square stays free) · CH — chest · CL — clock · CR — crate · D — desk · F — floor lamp · M — mirror (square stays free) · S — stove · W — window (square stays free)

The testimony

What each person said, and how much of the board it rules out.

Alma was seated on the armchair. leaves 1 of 42 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Alma: 1 of 42.
Delia was beside the stove. leaves 2 of 42 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Delia: 2 of 42.
Lidia was beside the desk. leaves 2 of 42 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Lidia: 2 of 42.
Nico was in the same row as the stove. leaves 6 of 42 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Nico: 6 of 42.
Nico was in the same room as Percy.
Percy was in the same row as the desk. leaves 6 of 42 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Percy: 6 of 42.
Zeno was in the same row as the chest. leaves 6 of 42 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Zeno: 6 of 42.
Zeno was in the rightmost column. leaves 1 of 42 squares

Show the squares Delia had left

The squares still open to Delia once their own statements are taken into account — 2 of 42.

What the testimony settles on its own

Nobody shares a row or a column, so each placement narrows everyone else. Before a single guess:

Delia can only be in Corridor (row 3, column 1) — down from 2 possible squares.
Lidia can only be in Galley (row 2, column 5) — down from 2 possible squares.
Nico can only be in Corridor (row 4, column 2) — down from 6 possible squares.
Percy can only be in Corridor (row 1, column 3) — down from 6 possible squares.
Elias can only be in Platform (row 6, column 6) — down from 42 possible squares.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Zeno, in Platform (row 5, column 7).

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Zeno is ringed in red.

Hard — The Night Express

A 10×8 grid across 6 rooms: Baggage, Platform, Locomotive, Saloon, Dining, Observation. Twelve statements, eighteen squares nobody could stand on, and one round of assume-and-test after elimination ran dry.

Cracked by one detective so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

The testimony

What each person said, and how much of the board it rules out.

Marina was exactly 3 rows south of Ivan.
Marina was in the same column as the mirror. leaves 6 of 69 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Marina: 6 of 69.
Marina was somewhere north of Estela.
Hugo was all alone in a room.
Vasco was exactly 1 column east of the Curator.
Vasco was in the same row as the sofa. leaves 20 of 69 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Vasco: 20 of 69.
Vasco was in the same room as Lidia.
Lidia was somewhere west of Estela.
Estela was in the same row as the stove. leaves 9 of 69 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Estela: 9 of 69.
Rufus was exactly 3 columns west of Marina.
Ivan was in the same column as the painting. leaves 6 of 69 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Ivan: 6 of 69.
Nobody was in the observation car.

Show the squares Marina had left

The squares still open to Marina once their own statements are taken into account — 6 of 69.

The squares that had to be tested

The rest does not fall out on its own. It takes 97 eliminations of the same move: put someone on a square, follow the consequences, and watch the board contradict itself.

Had Clara stood in Locomotive (row 1, column 1), Ivan would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.
Had Marina stood in Saloon (row 5, column 10), Vasco would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.
Had Hugo stood in Dining (row 1, column 2), Marina would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.
Put Vasco in Platform (row 4, column 6) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.

Show what goes wrong

Suppose Clara stood on the dashed square. Ivan then has nowhere left to stand: every square still open to them is shaded out.

Another 93 squares fell the same way.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Rufus, in Platform (row 3, column 7).

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Rufus is ringed in red.

Expert — The Night Express

A 9×9 grid across 8 rooms: Galley, Observation, Sleeper, Corridor, Baggage, Platform, Locomotive, Saloon. Sixteen statements, thirteen squares nobody could stand on, almost as many rooms as suspects, so a room claim nearly names a square, and two rounds of assume-and-test after elimination ran dry — and one of the nine was lying throughout.

The twist: one suspect is an accomplice — every statement they make is false; the accusation also demands the motive, not just the name.

Cracked by one detective so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

Lettered squares are objects. Most take the square out of play — which is why the counts above are of free squares, not of all of them — but the ones marked below do not: their square is still in play. A — armchair (square stays free) · B — bed (square stays free) · CA — carpet (square stays free) · CH — chest · CL — clock · CR — crate · D — desk · F — floor lamp · SO — sofa (square stays free) · ST — stove · W — window (square stays free)

The testimony

What each person said. One of these 9 is the killer's accomplice and every word they said is false — but not which one, not yet.

Ursula was somewhere east of Vivienne.
Ursula was in the same row as the crate. if true, leaves 8 of 74
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Ursula: 8 of 74.
Ursula was somewhere north of the Doctor.
Hugo was in the same column as the floor lamp. if true, leaves 8 of 74
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Hugo: 8 of 74.
Hugo was in the same row as a sofa. if true, leaves 3 of 74
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Hugo: 3 of 74.
Sofia was in the same room as Ivan.
Cesar was in the same column as the crate. if true, leaves 8 of 74
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Cesar: 8 of 74.
Ivan was in the same column as the chest. if true, leaves 7 of 74
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Ivan: 7 of 74.
Vivienne was somewhere east of Hugo.
Gilda was in the same row as the desk. if true, leaves 8 of 74
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Gilda: 8 of 74.
Gilda was somewhere north of the Colonel.
Bruno was not touching the outer wall. if true, leaves 28 of 74
Bruno was in the same column as the stove. if true, leaves 26 of 74
Exactly 2 people were in the saloon car.
Exactly 2 people were in the corridor.
Exactly 3 people were in the sleeper car.

Show the squares Hugo had left

The squares still open to Hugo once their own statements are taken into account — 3 of 74.

Unmasking the liar

One of these 9 people is the killer's accomplice, and every word they said is false — but you are not told which. Take each in turn: read their statements backwards and ask whether the rest of the testimony can still be satisfied.

If Ursula were the one lying, no arrangement satisfies the rest. Not them.
If Hugo were the one lying, no arrangement satisfies the rest. Not them.
If Sofia were the one lying, no arrangement satisfies the rest. Not them.
If Cesar were the one lying, no arrangement satisfies the rest. Not them.

Another 4 candidates collapse the same way.

Only Bruno survives the test. That is the accomplice, and everything they said is now read backwards.

Read backwards, Bruno actually told you:

Bruno WAS touching the outer wall.
Bruno was NOT in the same column as the stove.

What the testimony settles on its own

Nobody shares a row or a column, so each placement narrows everyone else. Before a single guess:

Ivan can only be in Sleeper (row 8, column 1) — down from 7 possible squares.

The squares that had to be tested

The rest does not fall out on its own. It takes 117 eliminations of the same move: put someone on a square, follow the consequences, and watch the board contradict itself.

Put Ursula in Locomotive (row 3, column 6) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.
Had Hugo stood in Observation (row 1, column 4), Bruno would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.
Had Sofia stood in Sleeper (row 7, column 6), Gilda would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.
Had Cesar stood in Corridor (row 1, column 3), Bruno would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.

Show what goes wrong

Suppose Hugo stood on the dashed square. Bruno then has nowhere left to stand: every square still open to them is shaded out.

Another 113 squares fell the same way.

Ursula can only be in Locomotive (row 3, column 8) — down from 3 possible squares.
Sofia can only be in Sleeper (row 9, column 5) — down from 2 possible squares.
Cesar can only be in Corridor (row 4, column 3) — down from 2 possible squares.

The motive

This case demands the why as well as the who: naming the killer without proving the motive counts for nothing. 8 motives are in play, and these statements narrow them.

Vivienne's motive would have been inheritance.
Ivan's motive would have been buried secrets.
Ursula's motive would have been ambition.
Hugo's motive would have been revenge.
Sofia's motive would have been jealousy.
Whoever did it was not driven by obsession.
Whoever did it was not driven by blackmail.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Cesar, in Corridor (row 4, column 3). Bruno lied throughout and was never charged.

The only motive left standing for Cesar is debts.

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Cesar is ringed in red.

How to read a case above

The grid size is the size of the crime scene, so a 10×9 expert case is a far larger search than a 5×5 beginner one — but the difficulty is really carried by the clues, not the square count. A beginner case tells you almost directly where somebody stood. An expert case tells you where somebody was not, three times, and expects you to do the rest — and on half of them one of those statements is a lie told to protect the killer. If a case lists a motive, naming the right person is not enough on its own; you have to prove why.

How to play · Solving cases with a liar · Techniques

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