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Kode #196: hints & solution

Here's the clue board for Kode #196. 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 #196

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.

  • 14950▲1●1
  • 25910▲0●2
  • 38362▲0●2
  • 44826▲1●1
  • 57046▲0●0

Spoiler-free hints

  • 2 of the four digits are even.
  • The four digits add up to 24.
  • 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 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 (7 0 4 6) has no marks at all, so 7, 0, 4, and 6 are not in the code.
  2. Row 1 (4 9 5 0) has 2 marks still unexplained, and only 2 digits are left undecided: 9 and 5. So both are in the code.
  3. Row 2 (5 9 1 0) has 2 marks, already accounted for by 5 and 9. That rules out 1.
  4. Row 4 (4 8 2 6) has 2 marks still unexplained, and only 2 digits are left undecided: 8 and 2. So both are in the code.
  5. Row 3 (8 3 6 2) has 2 marks, already accounted for by 8 and 2. That rules out 3.
  6. Row 1 (4 9 5 0) has one digit in the right spot. Since row 2 rules out the 9 in position 2, it has to be the 5 in position 3.
  7. Row 4 (4 8 2 6) has one digit in the right spot. Since position 3 is already 5, it has to be the 8 in position 2.
  8. The 2 has only one spot left: position 1 (row 3 rules out position 4, position 2 is already 8, and position 3 is already 5).
  9. That leaves the 9 for position 4.

That cracks it: the code is 2859.

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