Puzzle 050 is Kitty Solitaire, a 35-picarat Solitaire puzzle from Maurice, the circus tiger in the Big Top. Lucky the black cat and her eight white kittens sit on a five-by-five board, and the cats clear the board by jumping over kittens. Your job is to leave Lucky alone in the middle square. The puzzle has the same name in the UK version.
This page covers story Puzzle 050 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on Nintendo 3DS, in the US and UK English versions. If you're after Daily Puzzle 050, the later Kitty Solitaire puzzles or Puzzle 050 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 050? below.
What Puzzle 050 is
| Name | Kitty Solitaire (the same in the US and UK English versions) |
|---|---|
| Type | Solitaire |
| Picarats | 35 |
| Location | Big Top, Monte d'Or |
| Chapter | Chapter 3 |
| Puzzle giver | Maurice, the circus tiger (probably Hannibal in the UK version) |
| Comes after | Puzzle 049, Floor Seats |
| Comes before | Puzzle 051, Dandy Bears |
The puzzle says: "Lucky the black cat and her eight white kittens are sitting on a 5 x 5 board. Both Lucky and the kittens can jump over any kitten that is on a horizontally, vertically, or diagonally adjacent square. Jumping over a kitten removes that kitten from the grid. Lucky is safe, though, as the little kittens can't jump over her. Can you jump and bounce the cats around so that only Lucky is left sitting alone in the middle?"
The objective bar says, "Land back in the center!" At the start the cats fill the middle nine squares, with Lucky in the very centre and a ring of empty squares around them. A jump always lands on the empty square just beyond the kitten it goes over. The top screen shows the same board on a table, with a counter on a signboard that goes up by one with every jump. You can probably also undo a jump or start the board over.
Why it looks hard
Lucky starts exactly where she has to finish, so it's tempting to leave her there and only move the kittens.
Kittens can't jump over Lucky, and every jump uses up a kitten, so a careless jump can leave a kitten stranded where nothing can reach it. The hints below go one step at a time.
Puzzle names
The puzzle is called Kitty Solitaire in both the North American and UK English versions.
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| North America and UK English | Kitty Solitaire |
| Japanese | 猫のソリティア (Neko no Soritia, "cat solitaire") |
| German | Katzensolitär |
| French | Saute-matou |
| Italian | Solitario felino |
| Dutch | Kattensprongen |
Wrong Puzzle 050?
- Daily Puzzle 050 is Kingdom 05, from the Kingdoms set. In the UK version the set is probably called Feuding Fiefdoms.
- The later Kitty Solitaire puzzles are different boards in the Big Top, later in the story: Puzzle 065, Kitty Solitaire 2, and Puzzle 122, Kitty Solitaire 3. The cats start in different places, so this page's jumps won't work there.
- Other puzzles in the Big Top are different puzzles: Puzzle 048, Lighting Action and Puzzle 049, Floor Seats.
- Puzzle 050 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't show a black cat and eight white kittens on a board, you're in the wrong game.
Where you find it
Kitty Solitaire is in the Big Top, the circus tent in Monte d'Or, in Chapter 3. After you solve Puzzle 049, Tyrone introduces the circus's tiger, Maurice, and Luke tries talking to him. The UK version probably calls the tiger Hannibal.
Maurice only says things like "Grrrr. GRRRR! GRRRRRRrrr...", but Luke can understand him: "He's having trouble solving a puzzle." If you quit, Maurice says, "Grrrr gar?"
The Big Top has three hint coins: on the diamond banner on the left, on the chair and on the diamond banner on the right.
You probably have to solve it: Maurice seems to tell Luke what he knows only after you solve it.
When you can't see it
- Lucky never leaves the middle. She has to. The game's first hint says so, and she comes back to the centre with the last jump.
- A kitten is stranded. If a kitten ends up with no kitten next to it and no way for another cat to reach it, the board can't be cleared. Undo back to before that jump, or start over.
- Lucky clears the kittens but ends up off-centre. The goal is Lucky alone in the middle square. Keep a kitten next to her that she can jump over to land back in the centre.
- "Meow well!" That's the game's message for a wrong answer. Start over and try a different first jump.
Hints, one at a time
These hints follow the game's own hints. 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: Lucky moves first
Don't leave Lucky in the middle. Start by making her jump four times in a row.
Hint 2: Lucky's four jumps
Say her first jump goes down (the game's hint calls down south). Then jump her up and left (northwest), up and right (northeast), then down and right (southeast). She ends up in the middle of the right-hand column. Next, a kitten should jump so that it lands a bit closer to her.
Hint 3: The leftmost kitten
From there, the kitten to move is the one farthest left. It has only one square it can land on. After that, another kitten has to jump, and only one choice keeps you from getting stuck.
Super Hint: Two at the top
That second kitten is the bottom one. Jump it upwards, so two kittens end up lined up at the top. Then there's only one kitten jump left, and after it Lucky can jump back into the middle.
Answer and full solution
The answer below covers every jump, with a picture of each step and of the finished board. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
Lucky jumps four times (down, up-left, up-right, down-right), then three kittens jump, and Lucky jumps left back into the middle. That's eight jumps in all.
Step by step:
- Lucky down. Lucky jumps over the kitten below her and lands in the middle of the bottom row.
- Lucky up-left. She jumps diagonally over the bottom-left kitten of the starting block and lands in the middle of the left-hand column.
- Lucky up-right. She jumps diagonally over the top-left kitten and lands in the middle of the top row.
- Lucky down-right. She jumps diagonally over the top-right kitten and lands in the middle of the right-hand column. Four kittens are left: two in the middle row, one just above the centre and one diagonally below and to the left of Lucky.
- Leftmost kitten up-right. The kitten on the left of the middle row jumps diagonally over the kitten just above the centre and lands in the top row, second from the right.
- Bottom kitten up. The kitten below and to the left of Lucky jumps straight up over the kitten beside her and lands in the second row, so two kittens are lined up at the top of that column.
- Top kitten down. The kitten in the top row jumps down over the one below it and lands right next to Lucky, on her left.
- Lucky left. Lucky jumps over the last kitten and lands in the middle square, alone on the board.
Other orders work too. Every way of clearing the board takes eight jumps, one per kitten, and some of them start with a kitten jump instead of Lucky. The route above is the one the game's hints lead to. You can also mirror or rotate it, for example by starting with Lucky jumping left instead of down.
The game's message when you're right says, "Correct! You managed to get all the kittens off the board and leave only Lucky in the middle! Do you think she's glad to get some peace and quiet?"
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Kitty Solitaire shows 35 picarats when it starts. All three of its picarat values are 35.
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 three coins in the Big Top aren't enough for all of them on their own.
Does it unlock anything?
Yes. Solving it gives you a new play for your rabbit, Eve of the Carnival. Its description says, "On the eve of the carnival, Bunny stays up late having the time of his life with all of his friends..." It also moves the story on.
Versions and systems
- Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS and New 3DS: no difference. You move the cats on the touch screen.
- US and UK English versions: same name, same board, same answer. The UK text says "centre" instead of "center", and its hints write the directions as "north-west", "north-east" and "south-east".
After the puzzle
When you solve it, Maurice purrs, and Luke translates: "Maurice is good friends with Mr. Dalston! And he's not fearsome or ferocious at all! He's actually quite polite." Maurice says Dalston was at the circus the night before, playing with him after the show. Layton points out, "I don't think Dalston would risk losing customers by creating a Masked Gentleman appearance on the night of a circus show." As Luke puts it, "So we're back to square one."
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 050?
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.
Where is Puzzle 050?
In the Big Top in Monte d'Or, in Chapter 3. Talk to Maurice, the circus tiger (probably Hannibal in the UK version), after solving Tyrone's Puzzle 049.
Does Lucky have to move?
Yes. Lucky starts in the middle, but the board can't be cleared unless she leaves it and jumps back in at the end.
Do I have to solve Puzzle 050?
Probably. Maurice seems to tell Luke what he knows only after you solve it, so the story probably waits for it.
How many picarats is Puzzle 050 worth?
35. All three of its picarat values are 35.
Is Daily Puzzle 050 the same as Puzzle 050?
No. Daily Puzzle 050 is Kingdom 05, from the Kingdoms set. Story Puzzle 050 is Maurice's cat-jumping puzzle in the Big Top.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 049: Floor Seats
- Puzzle 048: Lighting Action
- Puzzle 122: Kitty Solitaire 3
- Puzzle 028: Bunny-Hop Swap 2
For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.