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Kode #193: hints & solution

Here's the clue board for Kode #193. Start with the spoiler-free hints. If you're still stuck, the full step-by-step solution is below, hidden until you open it.

Play Kode #193

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.

  • 14091▲1●1
  • 28021▲0●1
  • 33850▲0●2
  • 47603▲0●1
  • 54270▲0●0

Spoiler-free hints

  • All four digits are odd.
  • The four digits add up to 18.
  • 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 7 0) has no marks at all, so 4, 2, 7, and 0 are not in the code.
  2. Row 1 (4 0 9 1) has 2 marks still unexplained, and only 2 digits are left undecided: 9 and 1. So both are in the code.
  3. Row 2 (8 0 2 1) has one mark, already accounted for by 1. That rules out 8.
  4. Row 3 (3 8 5 0) has 2 marks still unexplained, and only 2 digits are left undecided: 3 and 5. So both are in the code.
  5. Row 4 (7 6 0 3) has one mark, already accounted for by 3. That rules out 6.
  6. Row 1 (4 0 9 1) has one digit in the right spot. Since row 2 rules out the 1 in position 4, it has to be the 9 in position 3.
  7. The 3 has only one spot left: position 2 (row 3 rules out position 1, row 4 rules out position 4, and position 3 is already 9).
  8. The 1 has only one spot left: position 1 (row 2 rules out position 4, position 2 is already 3, and position 3 is already 9).
  9. That leaves the 5 for position 4.

That cracks it: the code is 1395.

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