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Kode #180: hints & solution

Here's the clue board for Kode #180. 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.

  • 12538▲1●1
  • 27539▲0●1
  • 33082▲1●1
  • 45916▲0●2
  • 54263▲0●0

Spoiler-free hints

  • 2 of the four digits are even.
  • The four digits add up to 14.
  • 2 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 9 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 5 (4 2 6 3) has no marks at all, so 4, 2, 6, and 3 are not in the code.
  2. Row 1 (2 5 3 8) has 2 marks still unexplained, and only 2 digits are left undecided: 5 and 8. So both are in the code.
  3. Row 2 (7 5 3 9) has one mark, already accounted for by 5. That rules out 7 and 9.
  4. Row 3 (3 0 8 2) has one mark still unexplained, and only one digit is left undecided: 0. So it is in the code.
  5. Row 4 (5 9 1 6) has one mark still unexplained, and only one digit is left undecided: 1. So it is in the code.
  6. Row 1 (2 5 3 8) has one digit in the right spot. Since row 2 rules out the 5 in position 2, it has to be the 8 in position 4.
  7. Row 3 (3 0 8 2) has one digit in the right spot. Since the 8 is already in position 4, it has to be the 0 in position 2.
  8. The 1 has only one spot left: position 1 (row 4 rules out position 3, position 2 is already 0, and position 4 is already 8).
  9. That leaves the 5 for position 3.

That cracks it: the code is 1058.

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