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Kode #176: hints & solution

Here's the clue board for Kode #176. 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.

  • 10492▲1●1
  • 27458▲0●2
  • 39014▲1●1
  • 40321▲0●0
  • 57063▲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 8 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.

  1. Row 4 (0 3 2 1) has no marks at all, so 0, 3, 2, and 1 are not in the code.
  2. Row 1 (0 4 9 2) has 2 marks still unexplained, and only 2 digits are left undecided: 4 and 9. So both are in the code.
  3. Row 5 (7 0 6 3) has 2 marks still unexplained, and only 2 digits are left undecided: 7 and 6. So both are in the code.
  4. Row 2 (7 4 5 8) has 2 marks, already accounted for by 7 and 4. That rules out 5 and 8.
  5. Row 1 (0 4 9 2) has one digit in the right spot. Since row 2 rules out the 4 in position 2, it has to be the 9 in position 3.
  6. Row 3 (9 0 1 4) has one digit in the right spot. Since the 9 is already in position 3, it has to be the 4 in position 4.
  7. The 7 has only one spot left: position 2 (row 2 rules out position 1, position 3 is already 9, and position 4 is already 4).
  8. That leaves the 6 for position 1.

That cracks it: the code is 6794.

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