The Ultimate Guide to Colour Chains
Colour Chains is a deterministic logic puzzle that adapts the classic code-breaking formula of Mastermind into a modern, daily format. Unlike probability-based card games, this puzzle offers "perfect information"—meaning a skilled player can logically deduce the solution 100% of the time without guessing, provided they maximize the utility of their six attempts.
Core Mechanics & Rules
The objective is to reconstruct a hidden sequence of 5 colours. The sequence is generated daily and is identical for all players worldwide.
- The Master Palette: The game draws from a complete set of 10 distinct colours: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Cyan, Violet, Pink, Orange, Teal, and White.
- Difficulty Scaling: The game does not use all 10 colours at once unless you are at the highest level.
- Normal: Uses a subset of 6 colours.
- Hard: Expands the subset to 8 colours.
- Hardest: Uses the full 10-colour spectrum.
- Repetition Rule: The hidden code can contain duplicate or even triplicate colours (e.g., Blue-Red-Blue-Blue-Yellow). This significantly increases the permutation space compared to "no-repeat" puzzles.
- Feedback Loop:
- Green (Exact Match): The colour is correct and in the correct position.
- Yellow (Partial Match): The colour exists in the hidden code but is currently in the wrong position.
- Black (Null): This colour does not exist anywhere in the hidden code.
Advanced Strategy: The "Elimination vs. Position" Theory
Novice players often try to guess the positions of colours immediately. However, mathematically optimal play focuses on Elimination in the first 2 rows.
1. The "Rainbow" Opener
Since the Normal Mode palette has 6 colours and the board has 5 slots, your opening guess should always include 5 unique colours. This leaves only one colour untested.
Example: You guess [Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Cyan].
Scenario A: You get 3 Black tiles. You have now permanently eliminated 3 colours from the game, reducing the complexity by 50% instantly.
Scenario B: You get 4 Yellow tiles. You now know exactly which colours constitute the chain, and the remaining guesses become a pure permutation sorting problem.
2. The "Anchor" Technique
Once you achieve a Green tile, it is tempting to keep it there. However, if you are struggling to find the other colours, it is sometimes valid to temporarily remove a known Green tile to test a new colour in that slot (a "burning" move). This sacrifices a turn's score to gain critical information about missing variables.
3. Handling Duplicates
The most common cause of a failed streak is the "Phantom Duplicate." If you have a Green [Red] in slot 1, and a Yellow [Red] in slot 2, the game is telling you there are at least two Reds. Never assume a colour appears only once. If you have 3 empty slots and only 2 valid colours remaining, one of them must be a duplicate.
Understanding Difficulty Tiers
Colour Chains adjusts the "Search Space" complexity based on your difficulty tier:
- Normal (6 Colours): The baseline logic experience. Total permutations are 6⁵ (7,776).
- Hard (8 Colours): Introduces two extra colours (often Orange and Purple). The search space expands to 8⁵ (32,768). Information density per guess is lower.
- Hardest (10 Colours): Uses the full 10-colour palette including Pink and Teal. With 100,000+ permutations, the "Rainbow Opener" leaves 5 colours completely untested. You must rely on negative constraints (what is not there) to guide your path.
Why This is "Pure" Logic
Many browser games rely on reflexes or vocabulary. Colour Chains isolates the deductive reasoning loop. It exercises the brain's Executive Function—specifically working memory (holding the state of 'Black' tiles in your head) and cognitive flexibility (abandoning a theory when a new 'Yellow' tile contradicts it).