A Slice Too Soon

Can you figure out who was sitting in front of the half-eaten pie at Seat 3

Enter the seat number (1–6) for each guest below.
Then click Check Your Answers to see if you’ve solved the mystery!

Clue 1: Isabel was not sitting next to a person with blue eyes.
Let’s start by listing everyone’s traits, using icons to help:

  • Malik Beard, Tall Boots
  • Isabel Green Pants, Pink Scarf
  • Sam Blue Eyes, Pink Scarf
  • Walter Blue Eyes, Black Gloves
  • Maya Tall Boots, Green Pants
  • Arjun Beard, Black Gloves

Now let’s try placing everyone around the table in a starting order:

1) Arjun
6) Malik 2) Isabel
5) Walter 3) Maya
4) Sam

Check Isabel’s neighbors (Seats 1 and 3): Arjun and Maya.

Neither has blue eyes, so this clue is satisfied.

Clue 2: A woman with a pink scarf was sitting in front of a red ornament.

Only two people are wearing pink scarves: Isabel and Sam.

There are two red ornaments on the table: one in front of Seat 1 and one in front of Seat 5.

Originally, Walter was in Seat 5 and Sam was in Seat 4.

 

1) Arjun
6) Malik 2) Isabel
5) Walter 3) Maya
4) Sam

 

Neither pink-scarf woman was seated in front of a red ornament.

By swapping Sam and Walter, Sam moves into Seat 5, which has a red ornament in front of it.

 

1) Arjun
6) Malik 2) Isabel
5) Sam 3) Maya
4) Walter

Check Isabel’s neighbors (Seats 1 and 3): Arjun and Maya.

Neither has blue eyes, so this clue is satisfied.

Clue 3: A person with black gloves (Walter and Arjun)  was sitting to the left of a person with blue eyes (Sam and Walter).

So we either force Walter or Arjun to Sam’s left, or Arjun left of Walter. Looking at our current seating:

1) Arjun
6) Malik 2) Isabel
5) Sam 3) Maya
4) Walter

Let’s just swap Walter with Malik.

1) Arjun
6) Walter 2) Isabel
5) Sam 3) Maya
4) Malik

This clue is satisfied.

Clue 4: No man with black gloves was sitting across from a woman with a pink scarf.

Here is where we are currently:

1) Arjun
6) Walter 2) Isabel
5) Sam 3) Maya
4) Malik

Okay, we know that from clue 2, Isabel or Sam needs to be at a red ornament, if we shift everyone one seat left, we get this:

1) Isabel
6) Arjun 2) Maya
5) Walter 3) Malik
4) Sam

We did it!

Clue 5: A person with blue eyes was sitting across from a person with tall boots and to the right of a person with green pants.

This is going to be messy, and I'm sorry about that. I - Rob, the author - am not smart enough to explain a better method.

Here is where we are currently:

1) Isabel
6) Arjun 2) Maya
5) Walter 3) Malik
4) Sam

If we switch Maya and Arjun, this keeps Isabel between non-blue eyes, and meets Clue 5’s conditions…

1) Isabel
6) Maya 2) Arjun
5) Walter 3) Malik
4) Sam

No, this breaks Clue 3...

Maybe we shift everyone two seats over?

1) Malik
6) Arjun 2) Sam
5) Isabel 3) Walter
4) Maya

No, this breaks Clue 4...

Maybe swap Malik and Walter?

1) Walter
6) Arjun 2) Sam
5) Isabel 3) Malik
4) Maya

No, this breaks Clue 4...

Maybe swap Malik with Arjun, and then Sam with Ajurn?

1) Walter
6) Malik 2) Arjun
5) Isabel 3) Sam
4) Maya

No!

Maybe swap Malik with Maya, and then Arjun and Maya?

1) Walter
6) Arjun 2) Maya
5) Isabel 3) Sam
4) Malik

No!

Maybe swap Isabel with Sam?

1) Walter
6) Arjun 2) Maya
5) Sam 3) Isabel
4) Malik

We finally agree with the first 5 clues.

Clue 6: A person with blue eyes was sitting 3 seats from a person with green pants and to the left of a man with a beard. Yes

Clue 7: A person with green pants was sitting 2 seats from a man with a beard and 2 seats from a different person with tall boots. Yes

We did it through brute force!