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Kode #5: hints & solution

Here's the clue board for Kode #5. 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.

  • 15768▲1●1
  • 22568▲0●2
  • 34913▲0●2
  • 47932▲0●0
  • 50621▲0●1

Spoiler-free hints

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

That cracks it: the code is 5184.

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