In an event that’s happening on August 5 in the city, ILoveRead has facilitated a team activity for teenagers to play the popular board game, Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detectives. Each team of participants will be given a map of London, which forms the board, a bunch of clues that are printed on cards and a case to solve. Whichever team is able to crack the case fastest, wins the game.

“Holmes has helpers all around London; in our session on Sunday, the participants will become these able helpers — member of the Baker Street Irregulars — and solve mysteries alongside Sherlock,” says the event’s curator and library’s manager Simran Chakraborty. 

They’re expecting a turnout of around 25 people, who will be grouped into teams of five. “Up until now, we were playing this board game only among members of ILoveRead on a small scale, but this time, we’ve thrown it open to the public. However, we’ve restricted the age group to 15+ because we feel it’s not suitable for very young children,” she clarifies.

Since the intense game can go on for quite a while, there’s a time restriction within which the teams must try to solve the mystery. “We’ve kept time limit as three hours,” adds Simran. As far as the cases are concerned, not all of them are based on the original books because, “Diehard Sherlock Holmes fans would know how to solve it! So the company that makes the board game gives different cases that can be solved along with the kit,” she says.