Logic Grid

Still four categories, but five items each. That extra item per category adds 25% more cells to every sub-grid, and the clue count rises to 10–12. The grid is large enough that you can't hold the full state in your head — you need to trust the marks you've made and work systematically.

Multi-step elimination chains define this level. A single new mark can trigger a cascade: an elimination forces a hidden single, which propagates to a different sub-grid, which creates another hidden single. These chains are satisfying when they fire, and catching them is the core skill to develop here.

Conditional chains get deeper too. You might need to link three clues together before any of them become actionable: "the tea drinker plays soccer," "the soccer player lives in Paris," and "the person in Paris drives a BMW." Connecting these before you know who drinks tea lets you build a profile that eliminates candidates.

Solid performance here means you're ready for expert — five categories and ten sub-grids. The techniques are the same, but the scale and the interconnection between sub-grids increase significantly.