How to play Bulls and Cows

What you need

• A pencil or pen each
• A sheet of paper each
• Two players

How to set up

Each player writes down a secret code of four different digits (0 may come first) and keeps it hidden.

1. 1. Each player secretly writes a code of four different digits and folds it over.

2. 2. Below it, rule two columns: one for your guesses, one for their scores.

3. 3. Write each guess with its score: B for bulls, C for cows.

4. 4. Keep a row of the digits 0 to 9 to cross out the ones that cannot be in the code.

How to play

• Say a guess: any four different digits.
• Your rival scores it: a bull for each digit in the right place, a cow for each right digit in the wrong place.
• Write the guess and its score down, then it is their turn to guess.

How to win

Crack your rival's secret code before they crack yours. Four bulls cracks the code and wins. If the first player cracks it, the second gets one more guess to draw.

Tip A guess that scores nothing is useful too: cross all four digits off.

Variants

4 digits

Four different digits, up to ten guesses each.

3 digits

Three different digits, up to eight guesses: quicker.