Postcards from the coast

One deduction at a time

Follow the numbered clues, one-to-one eliminations and cross-grid deductions. When a counterfactual is needed, its assumptions and clue-by-clue contradiction are shown.

Measured complexity: rule tier 4/4 · 48 verified grid deductions · 1 counterfactual. Difficulty measures the rules used by this solver, not a promised completion time.

1. Step 1: Clue 1: Nora is not paired with Deal. Nora cannot be paired with Deal.
2. Step 2: Clue 2 restricts Alice to Whitby or Deal. Alice cannot be paired with St Ives.
3. Step 3: Clue 2 restricts Alice to Whitby or Deal. Alice cannot be paired with Tenby.
4. Step 4: Clue 3: placing St Ives at Magnet leaves no valid later position for Tenby at the required gap of 2. St Ives cannot be paired with Magnet.
5. Step 5: Clue 3: placing St Ives at Print leaves no valid later position for Tenby at the required gap of 2. St Ives cannot be paired with Print.
6. Step 6: Clue 3: placing Tenby at Shell leaves no valid earlier position for St Ives at the required gap of 2. Tenby cannot be paired with Shell.
7. Step 7: Clue 3: placing Tenby at Map leaves no valid earlier position for St Ives at the required gap of 2. Tenby cannot be paired with Map.
8. Step 8: Clue 4 restricts Sam to Magnet or Print. Sam cannot be paired with Shell.
9. Step 9: Clue 4 restricts Sam to Magnet or Print. Sam cannot be paired with Map.
10. Step 10: Clue 5 restricts Alice to Map or Magnet. Alice cannot be paired with Shell.
11. Step 11: Clue 5 restricts Alice to Map or Magnet. Alice cannot be paired with Print.
12. Step 12: Clue 6 restricts Whitby to Shell or Magnet. Whitby cannot be paired with Map.
13. Step 13: Clue 6 restricts Whitby to Shell or Magnet. Whitby cannot be paired with Print.
14. Step 14: Clue 7 restricts Jack to Map or Print. Jack cannot be paired with Shell.
15. Step 15: All other Travellers choices for Shell have been eliminated. Nora must be paired with Shell.
16. Step 16: Nora is already matched to Shell; each item is used once. Nora cannot be paired with Map.
17. Step 17: Nora is already matched to Shell; each item is used once. Nora cannot be paired with Magnet.
18. Step 18: Nora is already matched to Shell; each item is used once. Nora cannot be paired with Print.
19. Step 19: Clue 7 restricts Jack to Map or Print. Jack cannot be paired with Magnet.
20. Step 20: Nora and Tenby have no possible Souvenirs item in common, so they cannot belong together. Nora cannot be paired with Tenby.
21. Step 21: Jack and Whitby have no possible Souvenirs item in common, so they cannot belong together. Jack cannot be paired with Whitby.
22. Step 22: Sam and St Ives have no possible Souvenirs item in common, so they cannot belong together. Sam cannot be paired with St Ives.
23. Step 23: Deal and Shell have no possible Travellers item in common, so they cannot belong together. Deal cannot be paired with Shell.
24. Step 24: Suppose Nora is not paired with Whitby. Under the established grid, this leaves 2 arrangements. Applying the clues eliminates all of them, so this assumption is impossible. Nora must be paired with Whitby. Clue 3 (St Ives comes 2 places before Tenby in the Souvenirs order.) removes 2 arrangements; 0 remain.
25. Step 25: Nora is already matched to Whitby; each item is used once. Nora cannot be paired with St Ives.
26. Step 26: All other Travellers choices for St Ives have been eliminated. Jack must be paired with St Ives.
27. Step 27: Jack is already matched to St Ives; each item is used once. Jack cannot be paired with Deal.
28. Step 28: Jack is already matched to St Ives; each item is used once. Jack cannot be paired with Tenby.
29. Step 29: Whitby is already matched to Nora; each item is used once. Alice cannot be paired with Whitby.
30. Step 30: All other Towns choices for Alice have been eliminated. Alice must be paired with Deal.
31. Step 31: Whitby is already matched to Nora; each item is used once. Sam cannot be paired with Whitby.
32. Step 32: Deal is already matched to Alice; each item is used once. Sam cannot be paired with Deal.
33. Step 33: All other Towns choices for Sam have been eliminated. Sam must be paired with Tenby.
34. Step 34: Jack and Print have no possible Towns item in common, so they cannot belong together. Jack cannot be paired with Print.
35. Step 35: All other Souvenirs choices for Jack have been eliminated. Jack must be paired with Map.
36. Step 36: Map is already matched to Jack; each item is used once. Alice cannot be paired with Map.
37. Step 37: All other Souvenirs choices for Alice have been eliminated. Alice must be paired with Magnet.
38. Step 38: Magnet is already matched to Alice; each item is used once. Sam cannot be paired with Magnet.
39. Step 39: All other Souvenirs choices for Sam have been eliminated. Sam must be paired with Print.
40. Step 40: Both Whitby and Shell are matched to Nora; they must belong together. Whitby must be paired with Shell.
41. Step 41: Whitby is already matched to Shell; each item is used once. Whitby cannot be paired with Magnet.
42. Step 42: Shell is already matched to Whitby; each item is used once. St Ives cannot be paired with Shell.
43. Step 43: All other Souvenirs choices for St Ives have been eliminated. St Ives must be paired with Map.
44. Step 44: Map is already matched to St Ives; each item is used once. Deal cannot be paired with Map.
45. Step 45: Clue 3: placing Tenby at Magnet leaves no valid earlier position for St Ives at the required gap of 2. Tenby cannot be paired with Magnet.
46. Step 46: All other Towns choices for Magnet have been eliminated. Deal must be paired with Magnet.
47. Step 47: Deal is already matched to Magnet; each item is used once. Deal cannot be paired with Print.
48. Step 48: All other Souvenirs choices for Tenby have been eliminated. Tenby must be paired with Print.

Answer key

Nora · Whitby · Shell

Jack · St Ives · Map

Alice · Deal · Magnet

Sam · Tenby · Print