The beside clue: beside an object, not beside it

What the clue says

The person stood on a cell directly above, below, left or right of an object of that kind, and inside the same room as the object. A wall between them breaks it. Any object of the kind counts, scenery included: a person can be beside a plant or a table even though nobody can stand on them.

What it rules out

Every cell that is not next to such an object in its own room. A plant in the middle of a room has up to four neighbours; one against a wall or a corner has two or three. If a wall runs along one side of the object, the cell across the wall is out.

With several objects of the kind, add up their neighbours. With one, the clue often leaves two or three cells, which is as strong as a room clue.

The negative form

"He was not beside a table." Cross out the cells next to every table, in the same room as that table. The cells across a wall from a table stay open, because they are not beside it. The negative form helps when a person is down to a few cells and one of them touches the object.

Common mistakes

• Counting diagonals. A plant at a diagonal is not beside.
• Reaching across a wall. The cell has to be in the same room as the object.
• Putting the person on the object. Beside a chair means next to it. On it is a different clue: on an object.
• Checking only one object. Any object of that kind on the board counts.

How it combines with other clues

Beside plus a room clue keeps only the neighbours inside that room. Beside plus a line clue often leaves one cell. When two people both need a cell beside the same plant, and that plant has only two free neighbours in one row, the row is theirs; reading every clue as a map makes these overlaps easy to see.