{"format":"murdoku-puzzle/1","id":"polar","version":1,"difficulty":"medium","level":6,"size":{"rows":9,"cols":9},"languages":["en","hu","de","fr","es","it","nl","pl","pt","ro","ca","cs","fi","vi","tr","el","ru","uk","ar","ko","ja","zh-Hans","zh-Hant"],"defaultLanguage":"en","title":"The Polar Station","tagline":"Aurora Base, Antarctica · the last week of the polar night · the drill had stopped","author":"mathace","concept":"Murdoku – Manuel Garand (murdoku.com); unofficial fan-made case","created":"2026-09-29","story":"Aurora Base on the Antarctic coast, the last week of the polar night. For four months nine people had shared the huts, the hum of the generator and the howling of the huskies, and the newest ice core had just shown something that would make one career and ruin another. Vigdis, the station leader, wanted to radio the results home as soon as the sun returned. She never did: she was found in the laboratory, beside the ice-core drill. Nobody could have come from outside – everyone gives a statement, find out who was alone with her.","rules":{"standard":["Every row and every column holds exactly one person. As soon as you place someone, cross out their whole row and column.","“Beside” = directly left, right, above or below, and in the same area. Squares with objects (the penguins, the flagpole, the radio mast, the crate, the desks, the ice holes, the stove, the table, the switchboard, the ice-core drill, the cabinet, the huskies and the fuel drum) cannot be occupied; the snowmobiles, the bunks, the chair and the dog sleds can.","Directions refer to rows and columns, not to the same line: “exactly one row north of him was a woman” = the person in the row directly above is a woman, in any column.","The murderer was alone with the victim: nobody else was in that area."],"special":["Exactly one area was empty."]},"roleNames":{"scientist":"scientist","crew":"crew","victim":"victim"},"personGroups":[{"id":"scientists","name":"The scientists","persons":["A","B","C","D","V"]},{"id":"crew","name":"The crew","persons":["E","F","G","H"]}],"map":{"groups":[],"gaps":[],"areas":[{"id":"Penguin Rookery","cells":[[1,1],[1,2],[1,3],[2,1],[2,2],[2,3],[3,1],[3,2],[4,1]],"fill":"#e4eef2","pattern":"snow","labelAt":[2,1],"name":"Penguin Rookery"},{"id":"Ice Field","cells":[[1,4],[1,5],[1,6],[2,4],[2,5],[2,6],[2,7],[3,3],[3,4],[3,7],[3,8],[4,2],[4,3],[4,8],[4,9],[5,1],[5,2],[5,8],[5,9],[6,1],[6,9],[7,1],[8,1],[9,1],[9,2],[9,3]],"fill":"#eef4f7","pattern":"ice","labelAt":[3,4],"name":"Ice Field"},{"id":"Radio Shack","cells":[[1,7],[1,8],[1,9],[2,8],[2,9],[3,9]],"fill":"#efe2cb","pattern":"planks","labelAt":[2,8],"name":"Radio Shack"},{"id":"Main Hut","cells":[[3,5],[3,6],[4,4],[4,5],[4,6],[4,7],[5,3],[5,4],[5,5],[5,6],[5,7],[6,5],[6,6]],"fill":"#f1dfcc","pattern":"planks","labelAt":[4,6],"name":"Main Hut"},{"id":"Laboratory","cells":[[6,2],[6,3],[6,4],[7,2],[7,3],[7,4],[7,5],[8,2],[8,3],[8,4]],"fill":"#e2e6f0","pattern":"tiles","labelAt":[7,4],"name":"Laboratory"},{"id":"Generator Shed","cells":[[6,7],[6,8],[7,7],[7,8],[7,9],[8,8],[8,9],[9,7],[9,8],[9,9]],"fill":"#dcdad4","pattern":"boards","labelAt":[8,8],"name":"Generator Shed"},{"id":"Dog Yard","cells":[[7,6],[8,5],[8,6],[8,7],[9,4],[9,5],[9,6]],"fill":"#e6ecf0","pattern":"snow","labelAt":[9,6],"name":"Dog Yard"}],"objectTypes":{"bed":{"occupiable":true,"name":"bunk","icon":"","iconTall":""},"chair":{"occupiable":true,"name":"chair","icon":""},"sled":{"occupiable":true,"name":"dog sled","icon":""},"snowmobile":{"occupiable":true,"name":"snowmobile","icon":""},"adelie":{"occupiable":false,"name":"penguin","icon":""},"antenna":{"occupiable":false,"name":"radio mast","icon":""},"barrel":{"occupiable":false,"name":"fuel drum","icon":""},"cabinet":{"occupiable":false,"name":"cabinet","icon":""},"crate":{"occupiable":false,"name":"crate","icon":""},"desk":{"occupiable":false,"name":"desk","icon":""},"drill":{"occupiable":false,"name":"ice-core drill","icon":""},"flagpole":{"occupiable":false,"name":"flagpole","icon":""},"husky":{"occupiable":false,"name":"husky","icon":""},"icehole":{"occupiable":false,"name":"ice hole","icon":""},"panel":{"occupiable":false,"name":"switchboard","icon":""},"stove":{"occupiable":false,"name":"stove","icon":""},"table":{"occupiable":false,"name":"table","icon":""}},"wallTypes":{},"objects":[{"cell":[1,2],"type":"adelie"},{"cell":[1,5],"type":"flagpole"},{"cell":[1,9],"type":"antenna"},{"cell":[2,3],"type":"adelie"},{"cell":[2,4],"type":"crate"},{"cell":[2,7],"type":"snowmobile"},{"cell":[2,9],"type":"desk"},{"cell":[3,1],"type":"adelie"},{"cell":[3,8],"type":"icehole"},{"cell":[4,4],"type":"bed"},{"cell":[4,5],"type":"stove"},{"cell":[4,9],"type":"snowmobile"},{"cell":[5,1],"type":"icehole"},{"cell":[5,3],"type":"bed"},{"cell":[5,5],"type":"table"},{"cell":[6,2],"type":"desk"},{"cell":[6,6],"type":"chair"},{"cell":[6,7],"type":"panel"},{"cell":[7,3],"type":"drill"},{"cell":[7,5],"type":"cabinet"},{"cell":[8,5],"type":"sled"},{"cell":[8,6],"type":"husky"},{"cell":[9,2],"type":"sled"},{"cell":[9,4],"type":"husky"},{"cell":[9,9],"type":"barrel"}],"wallFeatures":[],"extras":[],"cellSize":46},"persons":[{"id":"A","name":"Anneli","gender":"F","role":"scientist","color":"#c62828","avatar":{"bg":"#35607a","skin":"#f6d8c0","hair":"#d9b464","style":"ponytail","shirt":"#c62828","beanie":"#f4efe6"},"clue":"She was in the first column.","job":"the glaciologist","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"scientist","constraints":[{"type":"col","cols":[1]}]},{"id":"B","name":"Bjørn","gender":"M","role":"scientist","color":"#2e7d32","avatar":{"bg":"#2f4858","skin":"#f1c8a5","hair":"#d9b464","style":"short","shirt":"#1565c0","beard":true,"beanie":"#c62828"},"clue":"Somebody in his area was beside a dog sled.","job":"the meteorologist","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"scientist","constraints":[{"type":"with_beside","obj":"sled"}]},{"id":"C","name":"Camila","gender":"F","role":"scientist","color":"#1565c0","avatar":{"bg":"#6e2c4b","skin":"#c68a5e","hair":"#1c1a1a","style":"long","shirt":"#2e7d32","earmuffs":"#e26d8a"},"clue":"Exactly one row north of her was a member of the crew.","job":"the biologist","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"scientist","constraints":[{"type":"rel_any","dir":"N","exact":1,"role":"crew"}]},{"id":"D","name":"Dag","gender":"M","role":"scientist","color":"#6a1b9a","avatar":{"bg":"#1b2a33","skin":"#e7b98f","hair":"#7a4a2a","style":"short","shirt":"#e65100","beard":true,"glasses":true},"clue":"The chair was somewhere in his row.","job":"the geophysicist","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"scientist","constraints":[{"type":"row_has","obj":"chair"}]},{"id":"E","name":"Eirik","gender":"M","role":"crew","color":"#e65100","avatar":{"bg":"#5d4037","skin":"#f1c8a5","hair":"#b7482c","style":"short","shirt":"#4a5a7a","beard":true,"cap":true},"clue":"The cabinet was somewhere in his row.","job":"the mechanic","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"crew","constraints":[{"type":"row_has","obj":"cabinet"}]},{"id":"F","name":"Fenna","gender":"F","role":"crew","color":"#00838f","avatar":{"bg":"#00695c","skin":"#f3d3b5","hair":"#7a4a2a","style":"bob","shirt":"#f4efe6","glasses":true},"clue":"She was the only one beside the chair.","job":"the doctor","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"crew","constraints":[{"type":"only_beside","obj":"chair"}]},{"id":"G","name":"Galina","gender":"F","role":"crew","color":"#ad1457","avatar":{"bg":"#5b2c6f","skin":"#f6d8c0","hair":"#2b1d14","style":"bun","shirt":"#6e2c4b","headphones":true},"clue":"She was not in a corner of her area.","job":"the radio operator","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"crew","constraints":[{"type":"not_corner_of_area"}]},{"id":"H","name":"Hemi","gender":"M","role":"crew","color":"#5d4037","avatar":{"bg":"#7a5a2c","skin":"#a9714b","hair":"#1c1a1a","style":"short","shirt":"#f4efe6","apron":true,"mustache":true,"mustacheColor":"#1c1a1a"},"clue":"A bunk was somewhere in his area.","job":"the cook","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"crew","constraints":[{"type":"area_has","obj":"bed"}]},{"id":"V","name":"Vigdis","gender":"F","role":"victim","color":"#1b1b1b","avatar":{"bg":"#5a2a2a","skin":"#f6d8c0","hair":"#d9d4cc","style":"bob","shirt":"#1565c0","scarf":"#c62828"},"clue":"The victim. She was found in the Laboratory, beside the ice-core drill – alone with the murderer.","job":"the station leader","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"scientist","constraints":[{"type":"area","areas":["Laboratory"]},{"type":"beside","obj":"drill"}]}],"victim":"V","murderer":"D","solution":{"G":[1,8],"C":[2,2],"H":[3,5],"B":[4,9],"F":[5,6],"D":[6,4],"E":[7,7],"V":[8,3],"A":[9,1]},"walkthrough":[{"place":["V","F"],"cand":{"A":[[1,1],[2,1],[4,1],[9,1]],"B":[[1,4],[1,7],[1,8],[2,2],[2,5],[2,7],[2,8],[3,2],[3,4],[3,5],[3,7],[3,9],[4,2],[4,4],[4,7],[4,8],[4,9],[9,2],[9,5],[9,7],[9,8]],"C":[[2,2],[2,5],[2,7],[2,8],[3,2],[3,4],[3,5],[3,7],[3,9],[4,2],[4,4],[4,7],[4,8],[4,9],[9,2],[9,5],[9,7],[9,8]],"D":[[6,4],[6,8],[6,9]],"E":[[7,2],[7,4],[7,7],[7,8],[7,9]],"G":[[1,8],[2,2],[2,5],[4,8],[9,2],[9,5],[9,8]],"H":[[3,5],[4,4],[4,7]]},"text":"Vigdis was found in the Laboratory, beside the ice-core drill: that is R6C3, R7C2, R7C4 or R8C3. The murderer was alone with her, so the Laboratory holds exactly two people. The chair (R6C6) was in Dag’s row and the cabinet (R7C5) in Eirik’s: row 6 is Dag’s, row 7 is Eirik’s, and the victim has only one square left – Vigdis is at R8C3. Fenna was the only one beside the chair. In its own area, the Main Hut, the chair has two free neighbours, R5C6 and R6C5 (R6C7 is the switchboard, R7C6 belongs to the Dog Yard), and R6C5 is in Dag’s row: Fenna is at R5C6. Nobody else was beside the chair, so Dag is not at R6C5; column 1 is Anneli’s by her own statement, columns 3 and 6 are taken, so Dag is at R6C4, R6C8 or R6C9. Hemi, with a bunk in his area, is in the Main Hut (R3C5, R4C4 or R4C7). Galina was not in a corner of her area, and Camila, with a member of the crew exactly one row north of her, is not in row 1."},{"place":["A"],"cand":{"B":[[1,4],[2,5],[2,7],[3,4],[3,7],[4,2],[4,8],[4,9]],"C":[[2,2],[2,5],[2,7],[2,8],[3,2],[3,4],[3,5],[3,7],[3,9],[4,2],[4,4],[4,7],[4,8],[4,9]],"D":[[6,4],[6,8],[6,9]],"E":[[7,2],[7,4],[7,7],[7,8],[7,9]],"G":[[1,8],[2,2],[2,5],[4,8]],"H":[[3,5],[4,4],[4,7]]},"text":"Bjørn says that somebody in his area was beside a dog sled. There are two dog sleds, R8C5 in the Dog Yard and R9C2 on the Ice Field, and “beside” counts only inside the same area: the sled at R8C5 has just R9C5 beside it (R8C4 is in the Laboratory, R7C5 is the cabinet, R8C6 a husky), the sled at R9C2 has R9C1 and R9C3 (R8C2 is in the Laboratory). Bjørn cannot be in the Dog Yard: with that person at R9C5 he would need a Dog Yard square outside row 9, but R7C6 is in Eirik’s row, R8C5 and R8C7 are in Vigdis’s. So Bjørn is on the Ice Field, and somebody there is at R9C1 or R9C3. R9C3 is in Vigdis’s column, which leaves R9C1 – and column 1 is Anneli’s: Anneli is at R9C1. Now look at the Dog Yard: rows 8 and 9 are taken, and its last free square, R7C6, is in Eirik’s row but in Fenna’s column. The Dog Yard is empty. Exactly one area was empty – it is the Dog Yard, so each of the other six areas holds somebody."},{"place":["G"],"cand":{"B":[[2,5],[2,7],[3,7],[4,9]],"C":[[2,2],[2,5],[2,7],[3,2],[3,5],[3,7],[3,9],[4,7],[4,9]],"D":[[6,4],[6,9]],"E":[[7,4],[7,7],[7,9]],"H":[[3,5],[4,7]]},"text":"Start with the Penguin Rookery: columns 1 and 3 are taken, so its only free squares are R2C2 and R3C2. The Rookery holds somebody, so that person takes column 2, and nobody outside the Rookery can be in that column. The murderer was alone with Vigdis in the Laboratory, in row 6 or row 7 – it is Dag or Eirik. The Laboratory squares of these two rows are R6C3, R6C4, R7C2 and R7C4; column 3 is Vigdis’s and column 2 belongs to the Rookery, so the murderer is at R6C4 or R7C4 and takes column 4. Rows 5, 8 and 9 are taken, rows 6 and 7 are Dag’s and Eirik’s, so rows 1 to 4 are left for Bjørn, Camila, Galina and Hemi. In row 1, columns 1, 3, 4 and 6 are gone, R1C2 is a penguin, R1C5 the flagpole and R1C9 the radio mast: only R1C7 and R1C8 remain, both in the Radio Shack. Bjørn is on the Ice Field, Hemi in the Main Hut and Camila is not in row 1, so row 1 is Galina’s. R1C7 is a corner of the Radio Shack, and she was not in a corner: Galina is at R1C8."},{"place":["C","H"],"cand":{"B":[[4,9]],"D":[[6,4],[6,9]],"E":[[7,4],[7,7],[7,9]]},"text":"The Penguin Rookery holds somebody – and only Camila is left for it: Dag and Eirik are in rows 6 and 7, Bjørn is on the Ice Field, Hemi in the Main Hut and Galina in the Radio Shack. So Camila is at R2C2 or R3C2. Exactly one row north of her was a member of the crew. At R3C2 that would be the person in row 2 – but Galina is in row 1, Fenna in row 5, Eirik in row 7, and the Main Hut, where Hemi is, has no square in row 2. So Camila is at R2C2, one row south of Galina, the radio operator. Who is in column 5? R1C5 is the flagpole, R4C5 the stove, R5C5 the table and R7C5 the cabinet; rows 2, 8 and 9 are taken; and R6C5, in Dag’s row, is beside the chair, where only Fenna was. Only R3C5 is left, a Main Hut square: Hemi is at R3C5."},{"place":["B","D","E"],"text":"Row 4 is the only row left for Bjørn, and he is on the Ice Field: R4C2 is in Camila’s column, R4C3 in Vigdis’s and R4C8 in Galina’s. Bjørn is at R4C9, sitting on the snowmobile there – and the somebody of his statement is Anneli at R9C1, beside the dog sled at R9C2. Only columns 4 and 7 are still free, for Dag in row 6 and Eirik in row 7. R6C7 is the switchboard, so Dag is at R6C4 and Eirik is at R7C7, in the Generator Shed. Every area except the Dog Yard holds somebody, just as the rule demands. R6C4 is a Laboratory square: the only person who was alone with Vigdis in the Laboratory is Dag – he is the murderer."},{"final":true,"text":"Case closed: Vigdis was alone in the Laboratory with the geophysicist. Dag is the murderer!"}],"solver":{"rules":[{"type":"n_empty_areas","n":1}],"occupiable":["bed","chair","sled","snowmobile"]},"verification":{"tool":"tools/murdoku_solver.py","unique":true,"guessFree":true,"checked":"2026-09-29"}}