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Kode #44: hints & solution

Here's the clue board for Kode #44. 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.

  • 12467▲1●1
  • 25197▲0●2
  • 32041▲0●1
  • 48932▲0●2
  • 53748▲0●0

Spoiler-free hints

  • 2 of the four digits are even.
  • The four digits add up to 22.
  • 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 5 (3 7 4 8) has no marks at all, so 3, 7, 4, and 8 are not in the code.
  2. Row 1 (2 4 6 7) has 2 marks still unexplained, and only 2 digits are left undecided: 2 and 6. So both are in the code.
  3. Row 3 (2 0 4 1) has one mark, already accounted for by 2. That rules out 0 and 1.
  4. Row 2 (5 1 9 7) has 2 marks still unexplained, and only 2 digits are left undecided: 5 and 9. So both are in the code.
  5. Row 1 (2 4 6 7) has one digit in the right spot. Since row 3 rules out the 2 in position 1, it has to be the 6 in position 3.
  6. The 2 has only one spot left: position 2 (row 3 rules out position 1, row 4 rules out position 4, and position 3 is already 6).
  7. The 5 has only one spot left: position 4 (row 2 rules out position 1, position 2 is already 2, and position 3 is already 6).
  8. That leaves the 9 for position 1.

That cracks it: the code is 9265.

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