Strategies for cracking codes in fewer attempts

Start with variety

An opening guess with four different colours quickly reveals how many are present. If the response is zero, you eliminate all four at once. If there are several matches, you have a useful basis for studying their positions.

Change only a few things at a time

Compare controlled attempts. If you replace one colour and the total feedback increases, the new colour contributes something; if it decreases, the removed colour was part of the code. Changing all four positions at once makes it harder to attribute the difference to one decision.

Separate colour from position

First work out which colours appear and how many times. Then arrange them. Once you know all four elements, the green feedback becomes a tool for testing permutations without introducing new colours.

Do not forget repeats

A colour being present does not mean it appears only once. Test duplicates when the accumulated feedback cannot be explained by four different colours. Keep mental minimum and maximum counts for each colour.

Example: interpreting repeated colours

Imagine this example code red, blue, red, green. This is not the daily challenge solution, but a combination used to explain the rules.

1. Guesses red, yellow, blue, green: you receive 2 in the right place and 1 in the wrong place. Red and green match their positions; blue appears but is misplaced. Yellow is not in the code.
2. Guesses red, blue, yellow, green: you get 3 in the right place and 0 in the wrong place. This new attempt is consistent with one red being missing, but the counters alone do not identify which slot is wrong.
3. Guesses red, blue, red, green: all four colours are in the right place. You have solved the example.

A response with three matches does not guarantee that only one solution remains. Review every attempt before deciding which position to change; do not treat the explanation in this example, where we know the secret, as information provided by the game.

When to try a combination that cannot win

A guess that is incompatible with earlier feedback can help distinguish hypotheses. For example, testing a repeated colour helps determine how often it appears. It uses an attempt, so do it only when the information is worthwhile and enough moves remain. No opening combination guarantees a win in every game.

Use incompatible guesses too

Every previous attempt sets a condition: any possible solution must produce exactly the same feedback against that attempt. Before submitting a guess, check that it does not contradict earlier feedback. This filter prevents many wasted moves.

Practise the daily colour challenge for free · Review the rules and feedback counters · Choosing between the daily challenge and Infinite mode · View the global ranking