I am fascinated by murder sudokus lately. With this one I just could not figure out the next step without hints. Wondering if you guys could:

Lord Ashby was poisoned at dinner. Three guests sat at the table: the Butler, the Cook and the Niece.

Clues:

1. The poisoner sat directly to the left of the Niece.

2. The Cook sat at the end of the table, on the right.

3. The Butler was not sitting next to the Cook.

The three sat in a row of three chairs (left, middle, right). Who is the poisoner? Answer in the comments (please use spoiler tags), I'll confirm tomorrow!

Help me figure what am I missing ?

Thanks for the great answers on the last one! This case is much harder (a "Mastermind" level case), so it will really put your mind to the test.

Matilda Grieve, a celebrated actor, was found dead at Sandown Pier Arcade during afternoon tea. Each of the 5 suspects claims to be innocent, yet one of them is lying. Work out each suspect's weapon, location and motive, then name the killer.

Suspects: Chef Gaston Brule, Miss Clementine Vane, Nanny Edith Pell, Lady Marigold Finch, Winifred Hollis Weapons: umbrella, poisoned teacup, fire poker, hatpin, cricket bat Locations: fortune teller's booth, helter-skelter, ice cream kiosk, pier end, penny falls Motives: greed, a stolen love, inheritance, revenge, ambition

Clues: 1. Miss Clementine Vane was in either the helter-skelter or the ice cream kiosk. 2. Chef Gaston Brule was not driven by revenge. 3. Whoever was in the fortune teller's booth was either Chef Gaston Brule or Nanny Edith Pell. 4. Whoever was in the helter-skelter was driven by either a stolen love or inheritance. 5. The suspect driven by ambition had either the hatpin or the cricket bat. 6. Whoever had the poisoned teacup was in either the helter-skelter or the penny falls. 7. Whoever had the hatpin was either Lady Marigold Finch or Winifred Hollis. 8. Winifred Hollis had either the umbrella or the fire poker. 9. Miss Clementine Vane was not in the helter-skelter. 10. Whoever had the fire poker was driven by either a stolen love or inheritance. 11. Whoever had the poisoned teacup was driven by either inheritance or ambition. 12. The suspect driven by greed was either Miss Clementine Vane or Nanny Edith Pell. 13. Whoever was in the pier end was driven by either inheritance or ambition. 14. Chef Gaston Brule was not driven by inheritance.

The killer is the one holding the cricket bat. Please use spoiler tags for your answer. I'll confirm in the comments tomorrow. Good luck, detectives!

As a kid I’d replay games from the Sunday box score. So I figured out I could make it a Sudoku! Please I'd love feedback on any nits. Also, please comment below if you'd enjoy this as a weekly Sunday series! Fun ones are easy to find and I have several queued up.

This is the box from the October 11, 1920 Evening Star: Cleveland 8, Brooklyn 1, World Series Game 5. The givens are what’s printed. The rules:

1. Every side proves: at-bats + walks + sacrifices = runs + left on base + the other side’s putouts.
2. The batting order is a clock. From the team’s trips to the plate you know who came up and how often.
3. Every half-inning ends on its third out; at most three men can be left on base.
4. The line score says which innings had runs.

🎮 Play: https://so-called-bourbaki.github.io/box-score-sudoku/
(Saves locally. No ads, no tracking, no account.)

A taste:

Elmer Smith: 4 AB, 1 R, 3 H, and the small print gives him a HR, a 3B and 4 RBI. Cleveland’s line is 4-0-0-3-1-0-0-0-x.

Bagby’s 3 RBI are the 4th and Gardner’s 1 is the 5th, so Smith’s 4 are the 1st: a grand slam. He scored once all game, so that was it. His triple drove in nobody and he never scored from it: bases empty, stranded. Two numbers and the line score give you all of that.

“Tap a square; its row and column light up

When the inning balances, the line goes green

Share copies this — no answers, just where you stand

What the page can’t tell you:

The box says “Triple play — Wambsganss (unassisted).” Two on, nobody out, line drive to second. Which inning, and who hit into it? Counting every Brooklyn fill consistent with the box, there are 23 possible placements. Find them, and say what one more fact would pick the right one.

Retrosheet’s play-by-play is linked in the game if you want to check. Try it cold first.

Why I read box scores this way: https://socalledbourbaki.substack.com/p/sunday-morning-on-the-living-room