Solution · October 30, 2026
Solution: The Flickering Candle at the Manor House
Where everyone stood, who did it, and the order of deductions that gets there without a guess. If you have not tried the case yet, the board is on the case page. Play this case.
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The solved board: Hard 7×7
The murderer: The killer: Karim.
- Hugo: row 2, column 6 (Chapel)
- Oscar: row 1, column 2 (Cellar)
- Karim: row 4, column 4 (Study)
- Felix: row 6, column 7 (Gallery)
- Mateo: row 5, column 5 (Study)
- Clara: row 3, column 1 (Kitchen)
- Elena: row 7, column 3 (Terrace)
The clues
- HugoThe retired colonel.
He was beside an armchair. He was not on the Terrace.
- OscarThe antiques dealer.
He was beside a table.
- KarimThe family lawyer.
He was on a sofa.
- FelixThe student who never sleeps.
He was beside a plant. He was in the Gallery.
- Mateo · VictimThe waiter who hears everything.
The victim. He was alone with the killer.
- ClaraThe young reporter.
She was on a rug.
- ElenaThe gallery owner.
She was in the third column from the left.
Step by step
The order our solver finds. Each step uses only the clues and what the steps before it proved, and its heading links to the technique.
- Pinned suspects Elena can only be in the third column from the left, so nobody else can be there.
- Room counting The victim, Mateo, cannot be in the highlighted cells: his room there could not hold exactly one other person. The cells meant: row 2, column 1; row 2, column 5; row 3, column 2; row 5, column 2; row 5, column 4; row 6, column 1; row 6, column 2.
- Shared rows and columns Oscar and Karim can only be in the second column from the left and the fourth column from the left between them, so nobody else can be in those columns. Placed: Clara: row 3, column 1 (Kitchen); Hugo: row 2, column 6 (Chapel).
- Pinned suspects Felix can only be in the right column, so nobody else can be there.
- Room counting The victim, Mateo, cannot be in the highlighted cells: his room there could not hold exactly one other person. The cells meant: row 1, column 5.
- Shared rows and columns Karim and Felix can only be in the fourth row and the sixth row between them, so nobody else can be in those rows. Placed: Oscar: row 1, column 2 (Cellar); Karim: row 4, column 4 (Study); Felix: row 6, column 7 (Gallery).
- Room counting The victim, Mateo, cannot be in the highlighted cells: his room there could not hold exactly one other person. The cells meant: row 7, column 5. Placed: Mateo: row 5, column 5 (Study); Elena: row 7, column 3 (Terrace).
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