Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 7, 2026 Easy walkthrough
Oct 7, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Easy case “Three Thousand Seats That Weren't”, in an order where each step is proven by the statements already on file.
Play it first Just a hint, please
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. The order below is one valid route; any order where each verdict is proven when you enter it reaches the same answer.
Spoiler: show the full walkthrough
Start: Olive (C4) begins the case proven innocent.
The person between Kofi and Iris is innocent.— Olive, club owner (C4)
Step 1: Joan (B3, data analyst) is innocent. This follows from Olive’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Dexter (D1, club owner) is a criminal. This follows from Joan’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Dexter and me is innocent.— Joan, data analyst (B3)
Step 3: Hugo (D2, ticket tout) is a criminal. This follows from Dexter’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Hugo and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Dexter, club owner (D1)
Step 4: Cora (C1, mascot) is innocent. This follows from Hugo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Cora and me is innocent.— Hugo, ticket tout (D2)
Step 5: Gemma (C2, kit manager) is innocent. This follows from Cora’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Everyone in my column is innocent.— Cora, mascot (C1)
Step 6: Bea (B1, kit manager) is innocent. This follows from Gemma’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
None of us kit managers is a criminal.— Gemma, kit manager (C2)
Step 7: Felix (B2, ticket tout) is a criminal. This follows from Bea’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is exactly one criminal between me and Nico.— Bea, kit manager (B1)
Step 8: Kofi (C3, kit manager) is innocent. This follows from Cora’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 9: Esme (A2, data analyst) is a criminal. This follows from Kofi’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Esme and me is a criminal.— Kofi, kit manager (C3)
Step 10: Iris (A3, mascot) is innocent. This follows from Esme’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Everyone below me is innocent.— Esme, data analyst (A2)
Step 11: Marco (A4, club owner) is innocent. This follows from Esme’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 12: Lena (D3, data analyst) is a criminal. This follows from Marco’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Everyone below Hugo is a criminal.— Marco, club owner (A4)
Step 13: Nico (B4, mascot) is innocent. This follows from Iris’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
None of us mascots is a criminal.— Iris, mascot (A3)
Step 14: Amir (A1, ticket tout) is a criminal. This follows from Lena’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly six of the twelve people on the edges are innocent.— Lena, data analyst (D3)
Step 15: Pia (D4, ticket tout) is a criminal. This follows from Felix’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Pia and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.— Felix, ticket tout (B2)
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amir criminal | Bea innocent | Cora innocent | Dexter criminal |
| 2 | Esme criminal | Felix criminal | Gemma innocent | Hugo criminal |
| 3 | Iris innocent | Joan innocent | Kofi innocent | Lena criminal |
| 4 | Marco innocent | Nico innocent | Olive innocent | Pia criminal |
What happened
The barcodes were real — they had simply been sold twice. Lena and Esme, the club's data analysts, copied the season-ticket holders' codes out of the booking system, and Dexter, a co-owner drowning in debt, signed off a 'reprint' of the stadium's ticket stock. Amir, Felix, Hugo and Pia sold the duplicates outside pubs across the city for three days, always to fans who looked too excited to check. Pia couldn't resist printing her own ticket for 'Row ZZ, Seat 1'. Ashgate Park has no row ZZ.