Murder mystery sudoku — the daily cases for 6 August 2026

Every detective in the world got these same crime scenes on 2026-08-06 — 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 Movie Studio

A 5×5 grid across 3 rooms: Desert Set, Cafeteria, Editing Bay. Seven statements, four squares nobody could stand on, and enough testimony that the surplus is what pins the last two down.

Cracked by 4 detectives 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.

Gilda was on the carpet. leaves 2 of 23 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Gilda: 2 of 23.
Alistair was in the editing bay. leaves 8 of 23 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Alistair: 8 of 23.
Alistair was in row 4. leaves 1 of 23 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Alistair: 1 of 23.
Dante was in row 3. leaves 5 of 23 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Dante: 5 of 23.
Dante was in column 2. leaves 1 of 23 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Dante: 1 of 23.
Kurt was in column 4. leaves 5 of 23 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Kurt: 5 of 23.
Kurt was in the top row. leaves 1 of 23 squares

Show the squares Gilda had left

The squares still open to Gilda once their own statements are taken into account — 2 of 23.

What the testimony settles on its own

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

Hugo can only be in Desert Set (row 2, column 1) — down from 23 possible squares.
Gilda can only be in Cafeteria (row 5, column 3) — down from 2 possible squares.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Dante, in Desert Set (row 3, column 2).

Show the solved board

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

Easy — The Hiking Trip

A 6×6 grid across 5 rooms: Overlook, Trailhead, Summit, Meadow, Cave. Eight statements, five squares nobody could stand on, and no assumption anywhere: elimination alone closes it.

Cracked by 3 detectives 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. Nobody can stand on one, which is why the counts above are of free squares, not of all of them. B — boulder · CA — campfire · CR — crate · F — floor lamp · T — tree

The testimony

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

Tristan was beside the campfire. leaves 2 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Tristan: 2 of 31.
Vivienne was beside the floor lamp. leaves 2 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Vivienne: 2 of 31.
Quentin was in row 4. leaves 5 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Quentin: 5 of 31.
Quentin was in the overlook or in the meadow. leaves 3 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Quentin: 3 of 31.
Elena was in column 2. leaves 5 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Elena: 5 of 31.
Elena was in the cave. leaves 4 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Elena: 4 of 31.
Ofelia was in the overlook. leaves 3 of 31 squares
Ofelia was in row 3. leaves 1 of 31 squares

Show the squares Tristan had left

The squares still open to Tristan once their own statements are taken into account — 2 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:

Tristan can only be in Trailhead (row 1, column 3) — down from 2 possible squares.
Vivienne can only be in Summit (row 6, column 5) — down from 2 possible squares.
Wilfred can only be in Trailhead (row 2, column 1) — down from 31 possible squares.
Quentin can only be in Meadow (row 4, column 6) — down from 3 possible squares.
Elena can only be in Cave (row 5, column 2) — down from 4 possible squares.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Tristan, in Trailhead (row 1, column 3).

Show the solved board

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

Medium — A Walk in the Park

A 7×7 grid across 6 rooms: Playground, Bandstand, Boathouse, Duck pond, Lawn, Kiosk. Nine statements, ten squares nobody could stand on, almost as many rooms as suspects, so a room claim nearly names a square, and no assumption anywhere: elimination alone closes it.

Cracked by 3 detectives 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 — bench · BO — boulder · C — carpet (square stays free) · FL — floor lamp · FO — flower bush · FU — fountain · S — shrub · T — tree · W — window (square stays free)

The testimony

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

Yolanda was in the same row as the flower bush. leaves 6 of 42 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Yolanda: 6 of 42.
Katia was in the playground or in the duck pond. leaves 18 of 42 squares
Katia was in the same column as the boulder. leaves 3 of 42 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Katia: 3 of 42.
Julia was beside the tree. leaves 1 of 42 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Julia: 1 of 42.
Oscar was in the western half of the scene. leaves 17 of 42 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Oscar: 17 of 42.
Oscar was in the same row as the bench. leaves 2 of 42 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Oscar: 2 of 42.
Vivienne was in the southern half of the scene. leaves 17 of 42 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Vivienne: 17 of 42.
Vivienne was beside the floor lamp. leaves 1 of 42 squares
Simon was beside the floor lamp. leaves 4 of 42 squares

Show the squares Oscar had left

The squares still open to Oscar 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:

Yolanda can only be in Kiosk (row 6, column 7) — down from 6 possible squares.
Katia can only be in Duck pond (row 1, column 5) — down from 3 possible squares.
Oscar can only be in Boathouse (row 2, column 3) — down from 2 possible squares.
Simon can only be in Bandstand (row 4, column 1) — down from 4 possible squares.
Quentin can only be in Kiosk (row 3, column 4) — down from 42 possible squares.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Yolanda, in Kiosk (row 6, column 7).

Show the solved board

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

Hard — The Golf Course

An 8×8 grid across 6 rooms: Pro Shop, Clubhouse, Water Hazard, Green, Bunker, Fairway. Thirteen statements, thirteen 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.

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 — bench · BO — boulder · D — desk · FL — flag (square stays free) · FO — flower bush · G — golf tee (square stays free) · P — painting (square stays free) · S — shrub · T — tree · W — window (square stays free)

The testimony

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

Pablo was in the same column as the tree. leaves 6 of 57 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Pablo: 6 of 57.
Pablo was exactly 1 column east of Rufus.
Ada was somewhere east of Rufus.
Rufus was all alone in a room.
Rufus was in the same row as the flower bush. leaves 7 of 57 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Rufus: 7 of 57.
Julia was not touching the outer wall. leaves 32 of 57 squares
Julia was all alone in a room.
Julia was exactly 1 row north of the Chef.
Zaida was in the same column as the flag. leaves 8 of 57 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Zaida: 8 of 57.
Zaida was in the same row as a boulder. leaves 2 of 57 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Zaida: 2 of 57.
Kaspar was somewhere north of Pablo.
Cesar was in the same row as the tree. leaves 6 of 57 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Cesar: 6 of 57.
Cesar was exactly 1 column east of Ada.

Show the squares Zaida had left

The squares still open to Zaida once their own statements are taken into account — 2 of 57.

What the testimony settles on its own

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

Pablo can only be in Water Hazard (row 2, column 4) — down from 6 possible squares.
Rufus can only be in Fairway (row 6, column 3) — down from 7 possible squares.
Zaida can only be in Water Hazard (row 3, column 2) — down from 2 possible squares.
Kaspar can only be in Clubhouse (row 1, column 1) — down from 57 possible squares.

The squares that had to be tested

The rest does not fall out on its own. It takes 8 eliminations of the same move: put someone on a square, follow the consequences, and watch the board contradict itself.

Put Ada in Green (row 5, column 6) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.
Had Julia stood in Green (row 4, column 6), Ada would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.
Put Cesar in Bunker (row 7, column 7) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.
Put Elias in Green (row 8, column 5) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.

Show what goes wrong

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

Another 4 squares fell the same way.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Cesar, in Bunker (row 7, column 6).

Show the solved board

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

Expert — The Mystery Island

A 9×9 grid across 8 rooms: Dock, Cave, Camp, Lookout, Jungle, Beach, Lagoon, Cliffs. Fourteen 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.

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. Nobody can stand on one, which is why the counts above are of free squares, not of all of them. BE — bench · BO — boulder · CA — campfire · CH — chest · CO — crocodile · CR — crate · F — floor lamp · P — palm tree · S — shrub · T — tent

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.

Ofelia was in the same column as a shrub. if true, leaves 14 of 67
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Ofelia: 14 of 67.
Ulises was in the same row as a floor lamp. if true, leaves 12 of 67
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Ulises: 12 of 67.
Selma was not beside the bench. if true, leaves 66 of 67
Selma was in the same column as a floor lamp. if true, leaves 12 of 67
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Selma: 12 of 67.
Selma was in the same row as a crate. if true, leaves 1 of 67
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Selma: 1 of 67.
Fabio was not in the cave. if true, leaves 6 of 67
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Fabio: 6 of 67.
Fabio was in the same column as the bench. if true, leaves 5 of 67
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Fabio: 5 of 67.
Ruben was in the same column as the boulder. if true, leaves 8 of 67
Ruben was in the same row as the palm tree. if true, leaves 1 of 67
Hugo was in the same column as the campfire. if true, leaves 7 of 67
Hugo was in the same row as a crate. if true, leaves 2 of 67
Quentin was beside a floor lamp. if true, leaves 2 of 67
Enzo was in the same column as the chest. if true, leaves 8 of 67
Enzo was in the same row as the campfire. if true, leaves 1 of 67

Show the squares Hugo had left

The squares still open to Hugo once their own statements are taken into account — 2 of 67.

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 Ofelia were the one lying, no arrangement satisfies the rest. Not them.
If Ulises were the one lying, no arrangement satisfies the rest. Not them.
If Selma were the one lying, no arrangement satisfies the rest. Not them.
If Ruben were the one lying, no arrangement satisfies the rest. Not them.

Another 4 candidates collapse the same way.

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

Read backwards, Fabio actually told you:

Fabio WAS in the cave.
Fabio was NOT in the same column as the bench.

What the testimony settles on its own

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

Ofelia can only be in Lagoon (row 3, column 6) — down from 14 possible squares.
Ulises can only be in Dock (row 2, column 4) — down from 12 possible squares.
Fabio can only be in Cave (row 5, column 7) — down from 5 possible squares.
Hugo can only be in Jungle (row 9, column 3) — down from 2 possible squares.
Quentin can only be in Lookout (row 8, column 9) — down from 2 possible squares.
Ada can only be in Beach (row 7, column 2) — down from 67 possible squares.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Ruben, in Beach (row 1, column 1). Fabio lied throughout and was never charged.

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Ruben 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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