Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 9, 2026 Medium
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 9, 2026
Stuck on the Medium case, “Two Hundred Lucky Researchers”? Open one nudge at a time. Nothing below reveals a verdict unless you click a box marked spoiler.
Back to the case Rules refresher
About this case
Quiver Labs pays £10,000 to anyone who reports a security flaw in its app. In twelve months it paid out £1.9 million to two hundred 'independent researchers' who were remarkably good at finding the same kind of mistake.
This Medium case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 15 of them carry a clue; the other 5 only have something to say about themselves. 3 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Pia the salesperson (D4) already proven. Their statement is enough on its own to prove one more suspect straight away — read it word by word, especially the counting words (exactly, neighbors, between).
Silas and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.— Pia, salesperson (D4)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Silas (C5) is innocent, proven by Pia’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 4 and 5. The statements doing the work are direction clues, paired verdicts and “between” clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with direction clues, the speaker is never included, and nor is anyone in a different row or column.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Pia’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Silas (C5) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and B. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, direction clues and “between” clues. 3 steps here need 2 statements read together. Tip: with neighbor counts, treat the number as a budget — once enough of the ring is proven, the rest is forced.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Mila’s and Joan’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Arlo (A1) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 3. The statements doing the work are direction clues, corner and edge counts and role counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with corner and edge counts, the edge ring includes the corners, so settle the corners first.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Idris’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Kira (C3) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 5, most of them in row 2. The statements doing the work are corner and edge counts, neighbor counts and “between” clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with “between” clues, only the cards strictly between the two named suspects count.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Dev’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Hugo (D2) — innocent.
The hardest step
The toughest moment needs 2 statements at once. If you’re stuck in the middle of the case, this is probably it.
Spoiler: the statements for the hardest step
Read Mila’s and Joan’s statements together. They settle Arlo.
Clue types in this case
neighbor counts ×4, corner and edge counts ×2, “between” clues ×3, direction clues ×3, role counts ×1, comparisons ×1 and paired verdicts ×1.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
15 of the 20 suspects carry a clue. The rest only talk about themselves — you can hide those asides in Settings.
Where is the full solution?
The step-by-step walkthrough proves every verdict in order.