#281 · Sunday, 13 September 2026

Ladder answer

• MARCH 5 letters
• CHAMBER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• BENCHMARK 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

MARCH sits inside CHAMBER, which sits inside BENCHMARK — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: RCAHM · HECBARM · EMNKBCRHA.

LockCode answer: 4270

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8970: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 9, 7, 0 are in the code.
2. 9640: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 6, 4, 0 are in the code.
3. 6340: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 3, 4, 0 are in the code.
4. 5970: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 9, 7, 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.

Lumen answer: TREE