#203 · Saturday, 27 June 2026

Ladder answer

• PIECE 5 letters
• ECLIPSE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PRECISELY 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

PIECE sits inside ECLIPSE, which sits inside PRECISELY — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: EPEIC · CISLEPE · IESRPELCY.

LockCode answer: 2190

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2130: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 1, 3, 0 are in the code.
2. 6802: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 8, 0, 2 are in the code.
3. 8130: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 1, 3, 0 are in the code.
4. 2310: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 3, 1, 0 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 8 codes remain possible.

With 8 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.