Murder mystery sudoku — the daily cases for 26 July 2026

Every detective in the world got these same crime scenes on 2026-07-26 — 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 Backyard Garden

A 5×5 grid across 4 rooms: Kitchen, Bedroom, Pond, Shed. Six statements, six 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 — bookshelf · C — chest · S — stove · W — window (square stays free)

The testimony

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

  1. Ignacio was in column 3. leaves 5 of 21 squares
    Show it on the board
    SBACCW
    The squares this one statement leaves Ignacio: 5 of 21.
  2. Ignacio was in row 3. leaves 1 of 21 squares
    Show it on the board
    SBACCW
    The squares this one statement leaves Ignacio: 1 of 21.
  3. Katia was in row 2. leaves 4 of 21 squares
    Show it on the board
    SBACCW
    The squares this one statement leaves Katia: 4 of 21.
  4. Olivia was in the bottom row. leaves 4 of 21 squares
    Show it on the board
    SBACCW
    The squares this one statement leaves Olivia: 4 of 21.
  5. Olivia was in the tool shed. leaves 1 of 21 squares
    Show it on the board
    SBACCW
    The squares this one statement leaves Olivia: 1 of 21.
  6. Felix was in the tool shed. leaves 6 of 21 squares
    Show it on the board
    SBACCW
    The squares this one statement leaves Felix: 6 of 21.
Show the squares Katia had left
SBACCW
The squares still open to Katia once their own statements are taken into account — 4 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:

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Katia, in Kitchen (row 2, column 5).

Show the solved board
SBACCWIKO✕F
The only arrangement the testimony allows. Katia is ringed in red.

Easy — The Backyard Garden

A 6×6 grid across 5 rooms: Sunroom, Living room, Kitchen, Bedroom, Backyard. Seven statements, ten 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) · BE — bed (square stays free) · BO — bookshelf · C — chest · F — flower bush · SO — sofa (square stays free) · ST — stove · T — tree · W — window (square stays free)

The testimony

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

  1. Milo was in the backyard. leaves 7 of 30 squares
    Show it on the board
    STASOBEBOFCCTW
    The squares this one statement leaves Milo: 7 of 30.
  2. Nico was seated on the armchair. leaves 1 of 30 squares
    Show it on the board
    STASOBEBOFCCTW
    The squares this one statement leaves Nico: 1 of 30.
  3. Walter was in row 4. leaves 5 of 30 squares
    Show it on the board
    STASOBEBOFCCTW
    The squares this one statement leaves Walter: 5 of 30.
  4. Walter was in the leftmost column. leaves 1 of 30 squares
    Show it on the board
    STASOBEBOFCCTW
    The squares this one statement leaves Walter: 1 of 30.
  5. Vera was beside the sofa. leaves 2 of 30 squares
    Show it on the board
    STASOBEBOFCCTW
    The squares this one statement leaves Vera: 2 of 30.
  6. Delia was in the rightmost column. leaves 4 of 30 squares
    Show it on the board
    STASOBEBOFCCTW
    The squares this one statement leaves Delia: 4 of 30.
  7. Delia was in the bottom row. leaves 1 of 30 squares
Show the squares Vera had left
STASOBEBOFCCTW
The squares still open to Vera once their own statements are taken into account — 2 of 30.
What the testimony settles on its own

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

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Nico, in Sunroom (row 3, column 4).

Show the solved board
STASOBEBOFCCTWMNWVD✕
The only arrangement the testimony allows. Nico is ringed in red.

Medium — The Backyard Garden

A 7×7 grid across 5 rooms: Bedroom, Pond, Patio, Kitchen, Backyard. Thirteen statements, eleven squares nobody could stand on, and one round of assume-and-test after elimination ran dry — and one of the seven was lying throughout.

The twist: one suspect is an accomplice — every statement they make is false.

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. BE — bed (square stays free) · BO — bookshelf · CA — carpet (square stays free) · CH — chest · D — desk · F — flower bush · P — painting (square stays free) · S — sofa (square stays free) · T — tree · W — window (square stays free)

The testimony

What each person said. One of these 7 is the killer's accomplice and every word they said is false — but not which one, not yet.

  1. Lorenzo was in the same column as the bed. if true, leaves 13 of 44
    Show it on the board
    BOCABECHFDSTWPP
    The squares this one statement leaves Lorenzo: 13 of 44.
  2. Lorenzo was somewhere north of Tobias.
  3. Lorenzo was in the same room as the Butler.
  4. Dora was in the same row as the sofa. if true, leaves 12 of 44
    Show it on the board
    BOCABECHFDSTWPP
    The squares this one statement leaves Dora: 12 of 44.
  5. Dora was somewhere east of Tobias.
  6. Dora was in the same room as the Journalist.
  7. Rosa was in the same room as Paloma.
  8. Rosa was in the same row as a painting. if true, leaves 31 of 44
  9. Tobias was not touching the outer wall. if true, leaves 22 of 44
  10. Margot was in the same column as the flower bush. if true, leaves 6 of 44
    Show it on the board
    BOCABECHFDSTWPP
    The squares this one statement leaves Margot: 6 of 44.
  11. Margot was somewhere north of Paloma.
  12. Paloma was in the same column as a painting. if true, leaves 13 of 44
    Show it on the board
    BOCABECHFDSTWPP
    The squares this one statement leaves Paloma: 13 of 44.
  13. Paloma was somewhere north of the Butler.
Show the squares Margot had left
BOCABECHFDSTWPP
The squares still open to Margot once their own statements are taken into account — 6 of 44.
Unmasking the liar

One of these 7 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.

Another 2 candidates collapse the same way.

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

Read backwards, Rosa actually told you:

  1. Rosa was NOT in the same room as Paloma.
  2. Rosa was NOT in the same row as a painting.
What the testimony settles on its own

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

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Rosa, in Kitchen (row 6, column 4). Rosa lied throughout and was never charged.

Show the solved board
BOCABECHFDSTWPPLDRT✕MP
The only arrangement the testimony allows. Rosa is ringed in red.

Hard — The Backyard Garden

An 8×8 grid across 7 rooms: Patio, Bedroom, Garden, Living room, Sunroom, Kitchen, Pond. Thirteen statements, thirteen squares nobody could stand on, almost as many rooms as suspects, so a room claim nearly names a square, 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.

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) · BE — bed (square stays free) · BO — bookshelf · CA — carpet (square stays free) · CH — chest · D — desk · FL — floor lamp · FO — flower bush · SO — sofa (square stays free) · ST — stove · T — tree · W — window (square stays free)

The testimony

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

  1. Elena was in the same column as the stove. leaves 6 of 56 squares
    Show it on the board
    FLCASOSTFOADBEBOTCHBOW
    The squares this one statement leaves Elena: 6 of 56.
  2. Elena was in the same row as the desk. leaves 1 of 56 squares
    Show it on the board
    FLCASOSTFOADBEBOTCHBOW
    The squares this one statement leaves Elena: 1 of 56.
  3. Ruben was somewhere east of Celeste.
  4. Zeno was in the same column as the sofa. leaves 13 of 56 squares
    Show it on the board
    FLCASOSTFOADBEBOTCHBOW
    The squares this one statement leaves Zeno: 13 of 56.
  5. Zeno was in the same row as the sofa. leaves 2 of 56 squares
    Show it on the board
    FLCASOSTFOADBEBOTCHBOW
    The squares this one statement leaves Zeno: 2 of 56.
  6. Zeno was all alone in a room.
  7. Frida was exactly 6 columns east of Tristan.
  8. Wanda was in the same column as the window. leaves 7 of 56 squares
    Show it on the board
    FLCASOSTFOADBEBOTCHBOW
    The squares this one statement leaves Wanda: 7 of 56.
  9. Wanda was somewhere north of the Gardener.
  10. Tristan was exactly 3 rows south of the Diva.
  11. Celeste was somewhere north of the Journalist.
  12. Celeste was exactly 1 row north of Frida.
  13. Celeste was in the leftmost column. leaves 7 of 56 squares
    Show it on the board
    FLCASOSTFOADBEBOTCHBOW
    The squares this one statement leaves Celeste: 7 of 56.
Show the squares Zeno had left
FLCASOSTFOADBEBOTCHBOW
The squares still open to Zeno once their own statements are taken into account — 2 of 56.
What the testimony settles on its own

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

The squares that had to be tested

The rest does not fall out on its own. It takes 47 eliminations of the same move: put someone on a square, follow the consequences, and watch the board contradict itself.

Show what goes wrong
FLCASOSTFOADBEBOTCHBOWEZR
Suppose Ruben stood on the dashed square. Tristan then has nowhere left to stand: every square still open to them is shaded out.

Another 43 squares fell the same way.

The answer

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

Show the solved board
FLCASOSTFOADBEBOTCHBOWERZF✕WTC
The only arrangement the testimony allows. Celeste is ringed in red.

Expert — The Backyard Garden

A 9×9 grid across 8 rooms: Patio, Pond, Living room, Backyard, Shed, Sunroom, Bedroom, Kitchen. Eighteen statements, eighteen 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) · BE — bed (square stays free) · BO — bookshelf · CA — carpet (square stays free) · CH — chest · D — desk · FL — floor lamp · FO — flower bush · P — painting (square stays free) · SO — sofa (square stays free) · ST — stove · T — tree · 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.

  1. Rosa was somewhere west of Kurt.
  2. Rosa was in the same row as the window. if true, leaves 8 of 70
    Show it on the board
    CADFLSOSTABEBOCHFOTSODFLFOBOWP
    The squares this one statement leaves Rosa: 8 of 70.
  3. Vivienne was in the same column as the stove. if true, leaves 7 of 70
    Show it on the board
    CADFLSOSTABEBOCHFOTSODFLFOBOWP
    The squares this one statement leaves Vivienne: 7 of 70.
  4. Vivienne was in the same row as the chest. if true, leaves 1 of 70
    Show it on the board
    CADFLSOSTABEBOCHFOTSODFLFOBOWP
    The squares this one statement leaves Vivienne: 1 of 70.
  5. Hugo was somewhere east of Jimena.
  6. Hugo was in the same column as the stove. if true, leaves 63 of 70
  7. Kurt was somewhere east of the Butler.
  8. Jimena was somewhere east of the Magician.
  9. Jimena was in the same row as a desk. if true, leaves 16 of 70
    Show it on the board
    CADFLSOSTABEBOCHFOTSODFLFOBOWP
    The squares this one statement leaves Jimena: 16 of 70.
  10. Jimena was in the same column as the painting. if true, leaves 2 of 70
    Show it on the board
    CADFLSOSTABEBOCHFOTSODFLFOBOWP
    The squares this one statement leaves Jimena: 2 of 70.
  11. Milo was seated on a sofa. if true, leaves 4 of 70
    Show it on the board
    CADFLSOSTABEBOCHFOTSODFLFOBOWP
    The squares this one statement leaves Milo: 4 of 70.
  12. Milo was in the eastern half of the scene. if true, leaves 3 of 70
  13. Enzo was in the same row as the carpet. if true, leaves 17 of 70
  14. Enzo was in the same column as a desk. if true, leaves 4 of 70
  15. Leo was in the same column as the tree. if true, leaves 7 of 70
  16. Leo was somewhere south of the Magician.
  17. Exactly 2 people were in the bedroom.
  18. Exactly 2 people were in the pond.
Show the squares Jimena had left
CADFLSOSTABEBOCHFOTSODFLFOBOWP
The squares still open to Jimena once their own statements are taken into account — 2 of 70.
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.

Another 4 candidates collapse the same way.

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

Read backwards, Hugo actually told you:

  1. Hugo was NOT east of Jimena.
  2. Hugo was NOT in the same column as the stove.
The squares that had to be tested

The rest does not fall out on its own. It takes 108 eliminations of the same move: put someone on a square, follow the consequences, and watch the board contradict itself.

Show what goes wrong
CADFLSOSTABEBOCHFOTSODFLFOBOWPVR
Suppose Rosa stood on the dashed square. Hugo then has nowhere left to stand: every square still open to them is shaded out.

Another 104 squares fell the same way.

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.

  1. Enzo's motive would have been ambition.
  2. Kurt's motive would have been blackmail.
  3. Rosa's motive would have been inheritance.
  4. Vivienne's motive would have been obsession.
  5. Leo's motive would have been debts.
  6. Milo was not driven by buried secrets.
  7. Whoever did it was not driven by revenge.
The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Milo, in Bedroom (row 6, column 6). Hugo lied throughout and was never charged.

The only motive left standing for Milo is jealousy.

Show the solved board
CADFLSOSTABEBOCHFOTSODFLFOBOWPRVHKJME✕L
The only arrangement the testimony allows. Milo 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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