1. Read the case before marking the matrix
Start with the introduction and every available clue. Identify the four categories: suspect, tool, location, and motive. A clue may confirm a relationship, reject one, or connect two facts indirectly.
2. Record facts as positive and negative relationships
Mark a relationship as confirmed when the evidence proves it. Mark it as eliminated when the evidence rules it out. Leave it unresolved when neither conclusion is justified yet.
Direct confirmation
“Nadia was in the conservatory” confirms one suspect-to-location relationship.
Direct elimination
“Omar did not carry the brass key” rejects one suspect-to-tool relationship.
Linked fact
“The conservatory trail points to revenge” connects a location with a motive.
Relative clue
A clue may compare two people or facts without immediately naming either final match.
3. Propagate every confirmed match
The categories are one-to-one. If Nadia is confirmed in the conservatory, no other suspect can occupy that location, and Nadia cannot occupy a second one. Apply that consequence across the related row and column.
This is where difficult cases open up: one confirmed relationship may eliminate several alternatives, which creates the next confirmation.
4. Check the whole case for contradictions
Before submitting, make sure every suspect has exactly one tool, location, and motive; every item in each category is used exactly once; and every written clue agrees with the matrix.
- No row contains two confirmed matches from the same category.
- No item has been assigned to more than one suspect.
- No confirmed relationship conflicts with a written clue.
- No unresolved square remains essential to the accusation.
5. Use assistance deliberately
Free evidence establishes the case. Optional Hint Tokens can reveal paid hints or the full answer when you choose. Try first to identify which category is blocking your progress; a targeted hint is most useful when you can apply its consequence across the matrix.
Common mistakes
Marking what seems likely
Only confirm what the evidence proves. Atmosphere and suspicion are not logical facts.
Forgetting uniqueness
After one match is confirmed, eliminate that item from every competing row.
Solving categories in isolation
A location-to-motive fact can resolve a suspect-to-motive relationship indirectly.
Submitting too early
Review all four categories together before delivering the complete verdict.
Continue learning
See why logic grids work.
Learn the one-to-one reasoning patterns behind the matrix with a compact illustrated example.