The two players decide in advance how many games they will play, which must be an
even number. One player becomes the
codemaker, the other the
codebreaker.
The codemaker chooses a pattern of four code pegs. Duplicates are
allowed, so the player could even choose four code pegs of the same
color. The chosen pattern is placed in the four holes covered by the
shield, visible to the codemaker but not to the codebreaker.
The codebreaker tries to guess the pattern, in both order and color,
within twelve (or ten, or eight) turns. Each guess is made by placing a
row of code pegs on the decoding board. Once placed, the codemaker
provides feedback by placing from zero to four key pegs in the small
holes of the row with the guess. A colored (often black) key peg is
placed for each code peg from the guess which is correct in both color
and position. A white peg indicates the existence of a correct color peg
placed in the wrong position.
If there are duplicate colours in the guess, they cannot all be
awarded a key peg unless they correspond to the same number of duplicate
colours in the hidden code. For example, if the hidden code is
white-white-black-black and the player guesses white-white-white-black,
the codemaker will award two colored pegs for the two correct whites,
nothing for the third white as there is not a third white in the code,
and a colored peg for the black. No indication is given of the fact that
the code also includes a second black.
Once feedback is provided, another guess is made; guesses and
feedback continue to alternate until either the codebreaker guesses
correctly, or twelve (or ten, or eight) incorrect guesses are made.
The codemaker gets one point for each guess a codebreaker makes. An
extra point is earned by the codemaker if the codebreaker doesn't guess
the pattern exactly in the last guess. (An alternative is to score based
on the number of colored key pegs placed.) The winner is the one who
has the least points after the agreed-upon number of games are played.
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