Kode #132: hints & solution
Here's the clue board for Kode #132. Start with the spoiler-free hints. If you're still stuck, the full step-by-step solution is below, hidden until you open it.
The clue board
Each row is a guess that's already been graded. ▲ means a right digit in the right spot; ● means a right digit in the wrong spot.
- 19602▲1●1
- 29806▲0●2
- 30387▲0●2
- 40345▲0●0
- 59573▲0●2
Spoiler-free hints
- 2 of the four digits are even.
- The four digits add up to 26.
- 3 of the digits are 5 or higher.
Try the hints first. The solution below walks through every deduction.
Step-by-step solution
Every Kode can be cracked by pure deduction, with no guessing. This board falls in 10 logical steps. Open the solution to follow them one at a time.
Show the solution · reveals the code
When a row "rules out" a position, it shows that digit there but its ▲ marks are already used up (or it has none), so the digit can't sit there.
- Row 4 (0 3 4 5) has no marks at all, so 0, 3, 4, and 5 are not in the code.
- Row 3 (0 3 8 7) has 2 marks still unexplained, and only 2 digits are left undecided: 8 and 7. So both are in the code.
- Row 5 (9 5 7 3) has one mark still unexplained, and only one digit is left undecided: 9. So it is in the code.
- Row 2 (9 8 0 6) has 2 marks, already accounted for by 9 and 8. That rules out 6.
- Row 1 (9 6 0 2) has one mark still unexplained, and only one digit is left undecided: 2. So it is in the code.
- That makes all four digits of the code: 2, 7, 8, and 9. Every other digit is out, which also rules out 1.
- Row 1 (9 6 0 2) has one digit in the right spot. Since row 2 rules out the 9 in position 1, it has to be the 2 in position 4.
- The 8 has only one spot left: position 1 (row 2 rules out position 2, row 3 rules out position 3, and position 4 is already 2).
- The 7 has only one spot left: position 2 (row 5 rules out position 3, position 1 is already 8, and position 4 is already 2).
- That leaves the 9 for position 3.
That cracks it: the code is 8792.