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EQUALS

Working one out…

How to play Equals

  1. There is a hidden sum — something like 12+34=46. You have six goes to find it.
  2. Every guess has to be a sum that is actually true. The game will not let you enter one that isn't, which means a wrong guess still costs you nothing but a turn.
  3. After each guess every square is coloured: green for the right character in the right place, amber for a character that is in the sum but somewhere else, grey for one that is not there at all.
  4. × and ÷ happen before + and −, as usual. No number starts with a zero, and division always comes out exact.

An example

The answer is 12+34=46 and you guess 25+31=56. Square by square:

2 → amber, it is in the answer but not first · 5 → grey, there is no 5 · + → green · 3 → green, it really was fourth · 1 → amber, it is in there, just not there · = → green · 5 → grey · 6 → green.

So after one guess you know the shape is ? ? + 3 ? = ? ? 6 and that a 1 and a 2 are in it somewhere else. That is usually enough to finish in three.

Amber counts, it does not just mark. If the answer holds one 5 and you guess two of them, only one lights up — the other goes grey. That is what tells you how many of a digit there are, and it is the most useful clue in the game.

On your own · 3–8 minutes · suggested from age 10 · free, no sign-up, and everybody gets the same puzzle each day.