Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Puzzle 023: Fairway Fibber Hints and Answer

Puzzle 023 is Fairway Fibber, a 35-picarat Multiple Choice puzzle in the Living Room of the Layton family home in Stansbury, during the Chapter 2 flashback to Hershel Layton's school days. Hershel's father, Roland, sets it after dinner. Four golfers, Mr. Black, Mr. White, Mr. Brown and Mr. Blue, are playing in a tournament, and their caddy can't tell them apart. She asks three of them, and exactly one, Mr. Brown, lies to her. From their three statements you work out which golfer is Mr. Blue and tap his letter, A, B, C or D, on the touch screen.

Video: Fairway Fibber solved. It shows the answer, so skip it if you only want the hints.

This page covers story Puzzle 023 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on Nintendo 3DS (US and UK English), using the North American text, with pictures rebuilt from the game's own art. If you're after Daily Puzzle 023 or Puzzle 23 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 023? below.

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Puzzle 023 Fairway Fibber: on the top, a painted golf course with three golfers on the left, a caddy in a yellow headscarf and cap beside a red golf bag, and a golfer with very tall hair and a yellow argyle shirt in the foreground; below, the four golfers standing in a row on the grass above round buttons labeled A, B, C and D — Illustration of the golf course on the top screen and the four golfers with their A to D buttons on the touch screen, rebuilt from the game's art.

What Puzzle 023 is

Puzzle 023 at a glance
Name	Fairway Fibber (the same in the US and UK English versions)
Type	Multiple Choice (tap A, B, C or D)
Picarats	35
Location	Living Room, the Layton family home, Stansbury
Chapter	Chapter 2
Story scene	Hershel's school days
Given by	Roland, Hershel's father
Solved by	Hershel
When it's there	After dinner, from the time your objective becomes "Go to Randall's House!"; probably still there after it changes to "Find a Way into Randall's Room!"
Previous puzzle number	Puzzle 022, Poke 'Em Totems (Hershel's Room)
Next puzzle number	Puzzle 024, Patterned Apron (also in the Living Room)

The question reads: "Four golfers named Mr. Black, Mr. White, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Blue were competing in a tournament. The caddy didn't know which one was which, so she asked three of them. One of them, Mr. Brown, told her a lie." Then come the three statements. A: "B is Mr. Black." B: "I'm not Mr. Blue!" C: "Mr. White? That's D." It ends: "So who is Mr. Blue?" The objective bar on the touch screen sums it up as "Who's Mr. Blue?"

Reading the question

Everything you need is in the three statements, but a few details in the wording matter.

Only one golfer lies. Mr. Brown's statement is false. The other two statements are true.
The liar is one of the speakers. The caddy asked three golfers and Mr. Brown lied to her, so Mr. Brown is A, B or C. D says nothing at all.
Each golfer has exactly one of the four names. No two golfers share a name, and every name is used once.
The letters are positions. A, B, C and D are the golfers from left to right on the touch screen, and you answer by tapping a letter.

One common slip is reading A's line as "B is not Mr. Black." In the game A says, "B is Mr. Black."

Puzzle names

Puzzle 023 names
Version	Puzzle name
North America	Fairway Fibber
UK	Fairway Fibber
Japanese	ゴルフ競技会 ("golf tournament")

The Japanese title is ゴルフ競技会. The North American version carries a different Japanese label for it, 練習場でのナゾ.

The UK English text keeps the title and the statements but drops the full stops after "Mr" and words the setup a little differently ("she asked three of the four"). The golfers and the answer are the same in the US and UK English versions.

Wrong Puzzle 023?

Daily Puzzle 023 in Miracle Mask is a different puzzle: Kingdom 03, from the Kingdoms set. It has nothing to do with golf.
Puzzle 024, Patterned Apron, is in the same room at the same time, given by Hershel's mother, Lucille. If your puzzle is about an apron, you've got the next one.
Puzzle 23 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't show four golfers and a caddy, you're in the wrong game.

Where you get it

Puzzle 023 comes in Chapter 2, the flashback to Hershel's time in Stansbury. When your objective is "Do Some Studying before Dinner!", go to Hershel's Room and start his studying, probably at his desk. Lucille calls him down to dinner, and afterwards the objective becomes "Go to Randall's House!" Before you leave, go to the Living Room and talk to Roland. You may need to zoom in on the bookcase first, so if you can't talk to him in the normal view, try the zoom spot. He says, "Off to Randall's? I hope the Ascots don't mind your showing up this late," and after Hershel answers, he adds, "I know that Randall is fond of puzzles. Show him this one if you think about it." Then the puzzle starts.

The Layton family Living Room at night, with a green striped sofa at the lower left, a curved bookcase and a grandfather clock on the left, a dining table and chairs in the middle and a fireplace on the right. A gold ring with the name plate Roland marks the far end of the dining table, numbered rings mark hint coin spots 1 on the checked cushion of the sofa, 2 on the floor lamp at the upper left and 3 near the fireplace, and a teal ring labeled Zoom sits just above the sofa's arm, at the foot of the bookcase — Illustration of the Living Room, rebuilt from the game's art. The gold ring marks roughly where Roland stands (he isn't drawn here), the numbers mark roughly where the three hint coins in the normal view are, and the teal ring marks the zoom spot.

Roland probably offers the puzzle from the time the objective becomes "Go to Randall's House!" and may still be there after the objective changes to "Find a Way into Randall's Room!", until a later story point. It isn't clear whether you can walk back home during that later stretch, so the easy time to get it is before you leave for Randall's house. It doesn't look like a puzzle the story needs: it doesn't appear to give a reward. Flashback puzzles you miss should turn up later with Nanna Grams (known as Elizabeth in the UK version), who keeps the puzzles you missed, once Chapter 3 begins.

The Living Room has six hint coins, three in the normal view and three in a zoomed-in view. In the normal view they're on the checked cushion of the green sofa at the lower left, on the floor lamp at the upper left, and at the fireplace on the right (either inside the fireplace or just beside it). To reach the other three, tap the zoom spot at the foot of the bookcase, just above the arm of the green sofa, to zoom in. Those three coins are probably at a bottle in a basket, the top of a chair and a clock. The zoomed-in view isn't pictured here. Each coin can be collected only once. The coins belong to the room, not to this puzzle, so they're the same ones you'd find when you come here for Puzzle 024 or the room's other puzzles.

Hints, one at a time

These follow the game's own hints, in the same order, with a little more explanation. Open only the next one you need. In the game, Hints 1 to 3 cost one hint coin each and the Super Hint costs two.

Hint 1: Where to start

Only Mr. Brown lies, and he's one of the three golfers the caddy asked. So try each speaker in turn: suppose A is Mr. Brown, then B, then C. For each one, his statement is false and the other two are true. See whether the names still fit.

Hint 2: Testing the first speaker

Suppose A is Mr. Brown. Then "B is Mr. Black" is false, and B's own statement is true, so B is neither Mr. Black nor Mr. Blue. C is telling the truth too, so D is Mr. White. That leaves only Mr. Brown for B, but you already made A Mr. Brown. Two Mr. Browns can't happen, so A isn't the liar.

Hint 3: Testing the second speaker

Now suppose B is Mr. Brown. His statement, "I'm not Mr. Blue!", would have to be a lie. But Mr. Brown really isn't Mr. Blue, so the statement would be true. B can't be the liar either. That tells you who the liar must be.

Super Hint: Putting the names in place

With the liar known, A's statement is true, so you know who Mr. Black is. That fits B's statement as well. D is then one of the two names left. The liar's statement is false, so D can't be the name he gave. Which name does that leave for D?

Answer and full solution

The answer below covers every step, with a diagram of all four names and a picture of the solved puzzle. Open it when you're ready.

Show the answer

Answer: D is Mr. Blue. Tap D.

A isn't Mr. Brown. If he were, B would have to be Mr. Brown too (Hint 2), which is impossible.
B isn't Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown saying "I'm not Mr. Blue!" would be telling the truth, but Mr. Brown is the one who lies.
So C is Mr. Brown, the liar. A and B are telling the truth.
A is truthful, so B is Mr. Black. That agrees with B saying he isn't Mr. Blue.
C is lying, so D isn't Mr. White. The names left for A and D are Mr. White and Mr. Blue, so D is Mr. Blue and A is Mr. White.

Check: A (Mr. White) says B is Mr. Black, which is true. B (Mr. Black) says he isn't Mr. Blue, which is true. C (Mr. Brown) says D is Mr. White, which is false. Exactly one golfer lies, and he's Mr. Brown. No other arrangement works.

The four golfers above buttons A to D with name labels added: A, the red-haired man with a moustache, is Mr. White; B, the grey-haired old man, is Mr. Black; C, the curly-haired man in glasses, is Mr. Brown and is marked as the liar; D, the man with very tall hair in a yellow argyle shirt, is Mr. Blue, highlighted in teal — Illustration of the solution, with name labels added to the game's art.

The game confirms it: "Well played! The lying Mr. Brown is C. Since his statement is false, D must be Mr. Blue."

The golf course after the puzzle is solved: the golfer with very tall hair in the foreground clutches his head with his mouth wide open, and the caddy and the other three golfers look on in shock — Illustration of the top screen after a correct answer.

If your answer keeps failing:

You tapped B. B says he isn't Mr. Blue, and B isn't the liar, so that's true. He's Mr. Black.
You tapped A. Once B is Mr. Black and C is Mr. Brown, A and D share Mr. White and Mr. Blue. C's false statement rules out Mr. White for D, so A is Mr. White.
You tapped C. C is Mr. Brown, the liar. The game's wrong-answer line is a reminder: "Pay attention to the fact that you already know the name of the person who lied."

Picarats, hints and hint coins

Fairway Fibber shows 35 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 35, 30 or 25 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value, though how many misses it takes to drop a step isn't clear, so it pays to be sure before you tap a letter. A wrong answer gets "Too bad." with the reminder that you already know the name of the person who lied. If you try again, Roland asks, "How about this puzzle for Randall?" If you back out of the puzzle, he says, "Hmph. You'll have to solve this puzzle before you can challenge Randall to it."

Hints cost hint coins, not picarats. The costs are one coin each for the first three hints and two for the Super Hint, five in total. The Living Room's six coins, three in the normal view and three in the zoomed-in view, would cover all of them if you collect them all and haven't spent any. Or use the free hints on this page and save your coins.

Versions

Nintendo 3DS family: this page covers the 3DS game. You answer by tapping one of the four letter buttons on the touch screen.
US and UK English versions: same name, same golfers, same answer. The UK text is worded a little differently.

The scene around the puzzle

Roland is at home after dinner when Hershel heads out. "Off to Randall's? I hope the Ascots don't mind your showing up this late," he says. Hershel answers, "Oh, it's fine," and Roland hands him the puzzle: "I know that Randall is fond of puzzles. Show him this one if you think about it."

When it's solved, Hershel says, "Father, please, I've had enough of puzzles for one day," and Roland answers, "When you get older, you won't be able to get enough puzzles! Mark my words!" Talk to him again afterwards and he says, "Old Ascot's not a bad fellow, but he's a real stick-in-the-mud. He should give that boy of his more encouragement."

FAQ

Where is the answer to Puzzle 023?

It's in the Answer and full solution section above, hidden until you open it. If you only want a push, open the hints one at a time first.

What is Puzzle 023 called?

Fairway Fibber, in both the North American and UK English versions. In Japanese it's ゴルフ競技会.

Where is Puzzle 023?

In the Living Room of the Layton family home in Stansbury, during Chapter 2. Talk to Roland after dinner, before you head to Randall's house.

Why can't I find Roland?

He probably starts offering the puzzle once dinner is over and your objective is "Go to Randall's House!", and he may stay there for a while after that. If you're still on "Do Some Studying before Dinner!", start Hershel's studying in his room first (probably at the desk).

Which golfers tell the truth?

Every golfer except Mr. Brown. The question says Mr. Brown is the only one who lied, and he's one of the three the caddy asked.

Do I have to solve Puzzle 023?

Probably not. It doesn't appear to give a reward, and missed flashback puzzles should go to Nanna Grams from Chapter 3.

How many picarats is Puzzle 023 worth?

It shows 35 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 35, 30 or 25 picarats, and wrong answers lower what you earn.

Is Daily Puzzle 023 the same as Puzzle 023?

No. Daily Puzzle 023 is Kingdom 03, from the Kingdoms set. Story Puzzle 023 is Roland's golf puzzle.

More Miracle Mask puzzles

For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.