Clues & Culprits › Clue types › Row and column clues
Row and column clues
Exact counts for a whole row, a whole column, or the entire lineup.
Row 3 has exactly two criminals.
Rows run left to right and are numbered from the top (Row 1, Row 2…). Columns run top to bottom and are lettered from the left (Column A, Column B…). The letters and numbers are printed along the edge of the board and in the corner of every card, so "C2" is the third card in the second row.
When a clue says "my row" or "my column", it means the row or column the speaker sits in.
How to read it
A row or column clue is a budget, exactly like a neighbor clue but in a straight line. "Row 3 has exactly two criminals" on a four-wide board means two criminals and two innocents. Once two criminals in that row are proven, the others are innocent, and vice versa.
Total clues ("There are exactly eight criminals in total") are the same idea applied to the whole lineup. They are weak early and decisive late: once only a handful of suspects are left, the total tells you exactly how many of them are criminals.
How it combines with other clues
- Row × column: a suspect sits in exactly one row and one column. If the row needs one more criminal and the column needs zero, the shared suspect is settled.
- Row × neighbor frame: a frame covers three cells of a row. Subtract what the row budget says about the cells outside the frame.
- Row × between: a between clue splits a row into "inside" and "outside"; the row total then tells you the outside.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up rows and columns. Rows are numbers, columns are letters.
- Reading "exactly two criminals" as "at least two". Clues & Culprits counts are always exact unless the clue says otherwise.
Real examples from recent cases
There are exactly two criminals in my column.— Percy, commercial traveller (D4) in Oct 25, 2026 Medium: The Loaf That Ticked
There is exactly one criminal in Column C.— Petra, postie (A4) in Oct 25, 2026 Evil: Duck 1,417 Wins by Thirty Yards
My row has exactly two innocents.— Hana, café cook (D2) in Oct 24, 2026 Medium: Breakfast with the Gorillas
There are exactly two criminals in my row.— Queenie, champagne caterer (A5) in Oct 24, 2026 Hard: The Favourite Who Took a Nap
Questions
What does “Row 3 has exactly two criminals.” prove?
Exact counts for a whole row, a whole column, or the entire lineup.
Where do row and column clues appear most?
In every difficulty. In Easy cases they usually settle someone on their own; in Hard cases they tend to combine with other clues.
Next: Profession clues · All types: Neighbor clues · Profession clues · Above, below, left and right · Between clues · Corner and edge clues · Same-verdict and exactly-one clues · more