Frontier Logic

Daily case

Frontier Logic Daily No. 39 October 13, 2026 Rookie

The Smelter Ridge Business: a free Western logic-grid puzzle

There's a version of the Smelter Ridge business going round the saloon and another going round the church, and neither one holds up. Take it a line at a time.

This free Rookie logic-grid puzzle has 4 suspects, 4 locations, and 4 pieces of evidence. New to logic grids? Start with the pencil-solving guide.

How to mark the grid

●
These two belong together.
✕
These two are ruled out.
blank
Still undecided.
How to play

Click, tap or press Enter on a cell to cycle it: blank, then ● for a confirmed pairing, then ✕ for one you have ruled out. Nothing fills itself in — the deductions are yours to make. Use the arrow keys to move around the grid.

Fill obvious Xs does the bookkeeping only: for each ● you have marked, it crosses off the rest of that pairing's own row and column. It never adds a ●, never reads a clue, and never changes a mark you made.

On a narrow screen the grid scrolls sideways.

Every case has exactly one solution, and it is always reachable by deduction alone. Nothing here guesses for you, and Check will not tell you which mark is wrong.

Clues and evidence

  1. Trinidad Molina was carrying the guttered miner's candle, plain as day.
  2. Trinidad Molina was never at Bone Wagon Road.
  3. Nobody could connect Kettle Jack Orrick to the worn fuse pouch.
  4. Refugio Barela kept well clear of Bone Wagon Road.
  5. Assay Bill Pardee was nowhere near Bone Wagon Road.
  6. Trinidad Molina stayed well away from Malachite Butte.
  7. Kettle Jack Orrick wasn't carrying the torn payroll ledger.
  8. Nobody could place Trinidad Molina at Smelter Ridge.
  9. The torn payroll ledger wasn't Refugio Barela's.
  10. Assay Bill Pardee was never once placed at Smelter Ridge.

The grid

On a narrow screen the grid scrolls sideways.

Your marks, completions and streak are saved in this browser only. There is no account, and clearing your browser data clears that local progress. If you accept analytics, the site sends anonymous puzzle-usage events; it never sends your grid marks, clues or solution.

If you want a hundred more

Five volumes, printed and portable

Each Frontier Logic volume collects 100 western mystery logic-grid puzzles, every one with exactly one solution and a complete answer key. Every volume stands alone, in standard and large print.

Opens Amazon, who sell the books and set the final price.