Mastermind

Crack the secret color code using logic and deduction. Feedback pegs guide your next guess.

How to Play

Fill the guess slots with colors, then submit. Black peg = right color & position. White peg = right color, wrong position. Four difficulties (6 to 10 colors). Hints reveal a position or a color; using one disqualifies best record. Timed mode: 30s per move, auto-submit on timeout.

Objective

Deduce the hidden color code within the limited number of guesses. Each guess earns feedback: black pegs for exact matches (right color, right position) and white pegs for partial matches (right color, wrong position).

Controls

• Click a palette color to fill the next slot
• Click a filled slot to remove that peg
• Submit when all slots are filled
• Black peg: correct color in correct position
• White peg: correct color, wrong position
• Easy: 4 pegs, 6 colors, duplicates, 10 guesses, 2 hints
• Medium: 4 pegs, 8 colors, duplicates, 8 guesses, 1 hint
• Hard: 5 pegs, 8 colors, duplicates, 7 guesses, 1 hint
• Expert: 5 pegs, 10 colors, duplicates, 6 guesses, 1 hint
• Classic mode: standard rules
• No-duplicate mode: secret has no duplicate colors (easier)
• Timed mode: 30s per move, auto-submit on timeout
• Hints: position hint reveals a correct color and locks that slot; color hint tells if a color is in the code. Using a hint disqualifies the game from best record
• Streaks and stats are tracked per difficulty + mode
• Shortcuts: U undo / H hint / Enter submit / R new game

Tips & Strategy

• Start with a guess of all-different colors to narrow down possibilities
• Elimination: if a color earns no pegs, it's not in the code
• Watch peg counts: 2 reds earning 1 peg means at most 1 red in the code
• Duplicates are harder — test the same color in multiple positions
• In no-duplicate mode, used colors won't recur, so safely rule them out
• Track deductions on paper for hard/expert modes
• Use a hint when stuck, but it costs the best record

Frequently Asked Questions

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