Deduce #5: The bakery line — the solution

The Deduce puzzle from August 19, 2026, worked through clue by clue: 8 clues, 4 rounds of crossing off, and no guessing anywhere.

The puzzle

Four people — Kit, Wes, Hugo and Quinn — and three things to work out about each: their order, coat and spot. The clues only ever rule things out.

1. Kit is the one buying a roll.
2. The one in the red coat is not the one 6th in line.
3. The one buying a loaf is the one in the cream coat.
4. Quinn is ahead of the one in the cream coat.
5. The one in the cream coat is not the one 5th in line.
6. The one buying a donut is ahead of the one in the cream coat.
7. Kit is exactly 3 places after the one in the green coat.
8. Hugo is the one in the cream coat.

The walkthrough

A round is one pass over the clues. Each round applies what the last one settled; every step below is an elimination the clues force, in the order a solver would take them.

Round 1

Start with every possibility open, and take the clues in order.

Clue 1, “Kit is the one buying a roll”: a roll comes off Wes, Hugo and Quinn. That settles it: Kit’s order is a roll.

Clue 3, “The one buying a loaf is the one in the cream coat”: cream comes off Kit.

Clue 4, “Quinn is ahead of the one in the cream coat”: cream comes off Quinn; 6th comes off Quinn.

Clue 7, “Kit is exactly 3 places after the one in the green coat”: green comes off Kit; 3rd, 4th and 5th come off Kit. That settles it: Kit is 6th in line.

Clue 8, “Hugo is the one in the cream coat”: cream comes off Wes. That settles it: Hugo’s coat is cream.

Round 2

Go back over the clues with the new facts in hand.

6th is Kit’s, so it comes off Wes and Hugo.

Clue 2, “The one in the red coat is not the one 6th in line”: red comes off Kit. That settles it: Kit’s coat is navy.

Clue 3, “The one buying a loaf is the one in the cream coat”: a loaf comes off Wes and Quinn. That settles it: Hugo’s order is a loaf.

Clue 4, “Quinn is ahead of the one in the cream coat”: 3rd comes off Hugo; 5th comes off Quinn.

Clue 5, “The one in the cream coat is not the one 5th in line”: 5th comes off Hugo. That settles it: Hugo is 4th in line.

Round 3

Go back over the clues with the new facts in hand.

Navy is Kit’s, so it comes off Wes and Quinn.

4th is Hugo’s, so it comes off Wes and Quinn. That settles it: Quinn is 3rd in line.

3rd is Quinn’s, so it comes off Wes. That settles it: Wes is 5th in line.

Clue 6, “The one buying a donut is ahead of the one in the cream coat”: a donut comes off Wes. That settles it: Wes’s order is a pie.

Clue 7, “Kit is exactly 3 places after the one in the green coat”: green comes off Wes. That settles it: Wes’s coat is red.

Round 4

Go back over the clues with the new facts in hand.

A pie is Wes’s, so it comes off Quinn. That settles it: Quinn’s order is a donut.

Red is Wes’s, so it comes off Quinn. That settles it: Quinn’s coat is green.

The answer

Previous: Deduce #4 (Tue, Aug 18) · Next: Deduce #6 (Thu, Aug 20)

About Deduce

Deduce is Noggin’s daily logic grid: four people, three things to work out about each, and clues that never hand you an answer. Every puzzle has exactly one solution and can be finished by crossing off alone. How to play Deduce, or play today’s.