What the clue says
Some objects can be used: chairs, armchairs, sofas, beds, benches, stools, carpets and rugs, and a few more in themed rooms. The clue names one kind and says the person was on it. Any object of that kind on the board counts, in any room. The game words the clue for the object, so a person sits on a chair and lies on a bed in languages that make the difference.
Scenery never appears in this clue. Plants, tables, trees, statues and the like fill their cell, and nobody stands there.
How the game words it
- FelixHe was on a chair.
- FelixHe was not on a sofa.
What it rules out
Every cell without that object. If the board has two chairs, the person has two cells left; if it has one, you can place them straight away. That is why the object clue is the first one to look for: count the matching objects before anything else.
A placement closes a row and a column for everyone else. On a small board one object clue can start a chain that places half the suspects.
The negative form
"He was not on a sofa." The person was not on any sofa on the board. He may still be on a chair, a rug or bare floor. Cross out the sofa cells for him and leave the rest. The negative form is weak on its own and strong at the end, when a sofa is one of his last two cells.
Common mistakes
- Missing an object in another room. The clue does not name a room. Scan the whole board for every object of that kind.
- Mixing up similar objects. An armchair is not a chair and a rug is not a carpet. The clue names one kind.
- Reading "on" as "beside". On means the person's own cell holds the object. Beside is a different clue.
- Reading "not on a sofa" as "not on anything". Only sofas are ruled out.
How it combines with other clues
With a room clue it picks out the matching object in that room. With a row or column clue it picks the object on that line. Between suspects, two people who each need one of the same two chairs share those chairs' rows and columns, so no one else can stand there. When an object clue leaves two cells, the technique pinned suspects shows how to use the fact that both lie in one row.
Put it to work on a real case
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