LESSON 2
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Every row needs someone
Mae's Detective School · Detective Starter Kit (10 free cases)
My favorite trick. It works even when nobody seems ready to place.
There are exactly as many people as rows, and as columns. So every row holds exactly one person, and so does every column. A row where nobody stands yet MUST still get someone.
Ask: who can still stand in this row? If only one person can, the row is theirs, even when their clue allows other squares elsewhere. Cross out their other squares.
How to spot it
- A row or column with only a few free squares left.
- A row or column that most people have crossed out already.
Mae's tip
Scan the rows, then the columns, and count who can still go there. Zero people means a mistake; one person means a placement.Show me a real example from Case 01 (a small spoiler for that case)
- Look at row 5. Every row holds exactly one person, and only Hank can still stand in row 5 (A5, C5 or F5). So Hank must be in row 5, even though his clue allows other squares. All his other squares are out.
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