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Kode #189: hints & solution

Here's the clue board for Kode #189. 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.

  • 14370▲1●1
  • 24930▲0●2
  • 39082▲0●2
  • 49564▲0●0
  • 52153▲0●3

Spoiler-free hints

  • 2 of the four digits are even.
  • The four digits add up to 6.
  • Every digit is below 5.

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

That cracks it: the code is 0321.

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