Manu Arcade · No. XCVI
Bulls and Cows
Seal yours. Crack theirs first.
0
You—your code
The deal is out.
The Horse-Leech?sealed
The Horse-Leech
Your guesses
Their guesses
Company tonight
At the open table
About Bulls and Cows
Bulls and Cows is the old paper-and-pencil code duel, played against the Horse-Leech. Each side seals a four-digit code of distinct digits, then takes turns guessing the other’s: a bull for every digit in its right place, a cow for every right digit in the wrong one. Crack theirs first and the game is yours. Play solo or live at the open tables, free in your browser, no ads, no sign-up.
How to play
Seal any four distinct digits — leading zeros welcome. Guesses alternate, and every answer comes back as bulls and cows. Four bulls cracks the code. If the second guesser cracks it on the equalizing turn, both codes fall and the game is drawn. The whole art is in the narrowing: each answer strikes thousands of codes from the book.
Controls
- Tap the padBuild your code or your guess
- Seal / GuessCommit it
Tips
Open with two spreads that share nothing, such as 0123 and 4567, and you will have touched eight digits in two turns. Read bulls and cows together: two bulls and two cows means the digits are all right and only the order is wrong. Keep a candidate or two in mind and guess to split them, not merely to fit.