Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 7, 2026 Easy
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 7, 2026
Stuck on the Easy case, “Three Thousand Seats That Weren't”? Open one nudge at a time. Nothing below reveals a verdict unless you click a box marked spoiler.
Back to the case Rules refresher
About this case
On cup final day, three thousand fans arrived at Ashgate Park holding tickets that scanned green at the turnstiles. Inside, they found someone already sitting in every one of their seats.
This Easy case seats 16 suspects on a 4×4 grid. 13 of them carry a clue; the other 3 only have something to say about themselves. Every step can be proven from a single clue plus what you already know.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Olive the club owner (C4) already proven. Their statement is enough on its own to prove one more suspect straight away — read it word by word, especially the counting words (exactly, neighbors, between).
The person between Kofi and Iris is innocent.— Olive, club owner (C4)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Joan (B3) is innocent, proven by Olive’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 3, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts and “between” clues. Tip: with paired verdicts, chain the pairs: a link of “same” and “different” statements often runs across the board.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Olive’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Joan (B3) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 4 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns B and C. The statements doing the work are row and column counts, role counts and “between” clues. Tip: with row and column counts, count what is already proven in that line and subtract it from the total.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Cora’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Gemma (C2) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 8 proven suspects
Three suspects get proven in this stretch, in column A. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts and direction clues. Tip: with direction clues, the speaker is never included, and nor is anyone in a different row or column.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Kofi’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Esme (A2) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 3 and 4, most of them in row 4. The statements doing the work are direction clues, role counts and corner and edge counts. Tip: with role counts, find every suspect with that role (the nameplate badge helps) and count the proven ones.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Marco’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Lena (D3) — a criminal.
Clue types in this case
“between” clues ×2, row and column counts ×1, paired verdicts ×5, direction clues ×2, role counts ×2 and corner and edge counts ×1.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
13 of the 16 suspects carry a clue. The rest only talk about themselves — you can hide those asides in Settings.
Where is the full solution?
The step-by-step walkthrough proves every verdict in order.