Advanced guide

Advanced strategy

How to win more duels: read every clue, shrink the candidate list and never waste a turn.

3,024possible codes at the start
840candidates left at most after your first guess
12guesses available
≈5average guesses with this strategy

The average comes from a simulation of 300 random codes always playing a possible code: 5 guesses on average and 8 in the worst case observed.

Eight principles to win

  1. 1

    Your first guess: any 4 distinct digits

    The nine digits are interchangeable, so every opening is equivalent: they split the 3,024 codes the same way and leave 840 at worst. Use 1234 and focus on reading the clue.

  2. 2

    Picos + Palas = how many digits you got right

    The sum tells you how many digits of your guess are in the secret, regardless of position. First find out which 4 digits they are; then where they go.

  3. 3

    Don't forget to count the digit you haven't tried

    If two guesses cover 8 digits (for example 1234 and 5678) and together they add up to 3 hits, the 9 is in the code. If they add up to 4, the 9 is not.

  4. 4

    Always play a code that could still be the secret

    Before sending, check that your guess would have produced the same clues you already received. That way no turn is wasted and every attempt could be the winning one. The board's "possible" counter shows how many candidates remain.

  5. 5

    Zero hits is the best news

    A guess with no Picos and no Palas eliminates four digits at once: out of 3,024 codes only 120 remain.

  6. 6

    Change a single slot to isolate a digit

    If you repeat a guess changing just one digit, the difference between the two clues tells you what happened to that digit: whether it came in, went out or only changed type.

  7. 7

    When Picos + Palas is 4, only the order is left

    You already have all four digits and there are at most 24 arrangements. Lock in with the Picos and try only the permutations that respect every previous clue.

  8. 8

    Hide your secret without patterns

    Avoid sequences (1234, 9876), dates and easy-to-guess numbers. The "Random" button when setting your code is the best option. In Grandmaster you have 60 s per turn: if time runs out, the system sends a random guess for you, so plan while the bot thinks.

A match solved in 5 guesses

Secret code: 7314 (the opponent can't see it). Every guess is a code that could still have been the secret.

  1. Guess 1
    1234
    1 Pico2 Palas
    180 possible

    Opening: 3 of these 4 digits are in the code, but only one is in its slot. Of 3,024 codes, 180 remain.

  2. Guess 2
    1325
    1 Pico1 Pala
    32 possible

    Still a possible code given the first clue: it keeps three digits and tests the 5. The total drops to 2 hits and 32 remain.

  3. Guess 3
    1462
    0 Picos2 Palas
    9 possible

    It tests the 6 and reorders the rest. Two Palas and no Pico leave only 9 candidates.

  4. Guess 4
    2374
    2 Picos1 Pala
    1 possible

    With 9 candidates you pick one that separates them well. This clue leaves a single possible code.

  5. Guess 5
    7314
    4 Picos0 Palas
    Cracked!

    Only one was left: 4 Picos and victory on guess 5, with 7 guesses to spare.

The key wasn't guessing: it was eliminating. Every clue shrinks the candidates and the next guess comes from the ones that survive.

Mistakes that cost matches

  • Reusing digits you already know are not in the secret.
  • Ignoring Palas: a Pala means the digit is there, just in another slot.
  • Changing many digits at once: you won't know what caused each change in the clue.
  • Guessing at random when few candidates remain instead of checking which ones fit every clue.
  • Spending "test" guesses that can no longer be the secret.

Take it to the arena

Practice turns these principles into reflexes. Start against the AI on Novice and level up.