--- title: "How to play Mindo: rules and a first game · SIWA" description: "Mindo rules explained: SIWA's daily Mastermind, a code of 4 colours out of 6 to crack in 10 tries, with a fully commented first game to get you started." canonical_url: "https://dev.siwa.io/en/guides/comment-jouer-a-mindo" last_updated: 2026-10-27 locale: en meta: "og:description": "Mindo rules explained: SIWA's daily Mastermind, a code of 4 colours out of 6 to crack in 10 tries, with a fully commented first game to get you started." "og:image": "https://dev.siwa.io/og/en/mindo.jpg?v=a13dcf2f" "og:image:alt": "Mindo · Crack the secret 4-colour code" "og:image:height": "630" "og:image:type": image/jpeg "og:image:width": "1200" "og:title": "How to play Mindo: rules and a first game" "twitter:image": "https://dev.siwa.io/og/en/mindo.jpg?v=a13dcf2f" "twitter:image:alt": "Mindo · Crack the secret 4-colour code" --- > Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://dev.siwa.io/llms.txt) How to play # How to play Mindo: rules and a first game To play Mindo, build a row of 4 colours chosen from 6: the game tells you how many are in the right spot and how many are in the code but misplaced, without ever saying which ones. You get 10 tries to crack the secret code of the day, which is the same for everyone. Updated October 27, 2026 [Play Mindo](https://play.dev.siwa.io/game/mindo) ## Mindo rules in 30 seconds A secret code of **4 colours** is hidden. Each colour is drawn from **6**, and the same colour can appear more than once. Your goal: find the code in **10 tries** or fewer. To build a try, tap a slot in the active row, then a colour in the palette. Each colour also carries a shape (circle, square, triangle, diamond, star, hexagon) and a number from 1 to 6, handy on a keyboard: keys 1 to 6 place a colour, Enter submits, Backspace deletes. Once you submit, two counters appear to the right of the row: - **right spot** (tick): how many colours are correct and in the correct position; - **wrong spot** (arrows): how many colours are in the code, but in another position. The counters never tell you **which** colours they mean. These are the classic Mastermind rules: 4 positions, 6 colours, repeats allowed. You win as soon as all 4 colours are in the right spot. ## How are repeated colours counted? The game first counts the colours in the right spot. It then looks for misplaced colours, counting each colour only as many times as it is still left in the code. A colour you play twice that appears only once in the code therefore counts only once. A useful habit: add the two counters together. The total is the number of colours in your try that are in the code, whatever their positions. ## A first game, move by move From here on, colours are named by their number, from 1 to 6. The secret code in this game is **3 5 1 5**. The method used here, playing colours in pairs, is not the fastest, but it is very easy to follow for a first game. ### Try 1: 1 1 2 2 Answer: **0 right spot, 1 wrong spot**. A single peg out of four: the code contains exactly one colour from 1 and 2, once. If it is the 1, it sits in position 3 or 4; if it is the 2, in position 1 or 2. 256 codes out of 1,296 are still possible. ### Try 2: 3 3 4 4 Answer: **1 right spot, 0 wrong spot**. The code contains exactly one colour from 3 and 4, in a position you tested: either a 3 in position 1 or 2, or a 4 in position 3 or 4. 48 codes remain. ### Try 3: 5 5 6 6 Answer: **1 right spot, 1 wrong spot**. Two colours from 5 and 6. Add up the three tries: 1 + 1 + 2 = 4. The make-up of the code takes shape: one colour from 1 and 2, one from 3 and 4, two from 5 and 6. 24 codes remain. ### Try 4: 2 3 5 5 This tests several ideas at once: the 2 rather than the 1, a 3 in position 2, a double 5 at the end. Answer: **1 right spot, 2 wrong spot**. Three colours out of four are in the code. Only six codes now fit all four answers: 3 2 5 6, 3 2 6 5, 3 5 1 5, 3 5 5 1, 5 2 4 5 and 5 2 5 4. ### Try 5: 3 5 5 1 Play one of the six candidates. Answer: **2 right spot, 2 wrong spot**. All four colours are right, but only two are in place. Of the six candidates, only one gives exactly this answer: 3 5 1 5. ### Try 6: 3 5 1 5 **4 right spot**: the code is cracked in 6 tries, with no joker and four rows to spare. ## Joker, end of game and scoring The **Joker** button reveals the colour of a position you don't know yet, picked at random. It then stays locked in every row. Jokers are unlimited, but in Mindo they are expensive: 60 points each, plus a score cap of 700 points with one joker, 450 with two, 200 with three. If your 10th try misses, the solution is shown automatically and the game is lost, with a score capped at 400 points. When you win, the score is out of 1,000 points. Each extra try costs about 67 points of performance: a win on try 10 keeps 40%. Time matters too, with a bonus for beating the 2 min 30 s reference time and a penalty beyond it. ## What next? To win in fewer tries, read our [Mindo tips](https://dev.siwa.io/en/guides/astuces-mindo). For the theory, our guide to [optimal Mastermind strategy](https://dev.siwa.io/en/guides/mindo-strategie-mastermind) explains why any code can be found in 5 tries. And if you prefer numbers, [Decrypto](https://dev.siwa.io/en/games/decrypto) applies the same idea with feedback on every tile. A new code arrives every day at midnight, local time. It is free to play in your browser, with nothing to download and no sign-up needed. ## Frequently asked questions
How many tries do you get in Mindo? Ten. If your 10th try misses, the secret code is shown and the game is lost; there is no free play afterwards.
Can a colour appear twice in the Mindo code? Yes. The code has 4 positions and each can take any of the 6 colours, repeats included. That makes 1,296 possible codes.
Do Mindo's pegs match the positions? No. The two counters give a number of colours in the right spot and a number of misplaced colours, without saying which positions they refer to. That is the whole challenge.
What does a joker cost in Mindo? Each joker takes off 60 points and also caps your score: 700 points at best with one joker, 450 with two, 200 with three. It reveals the colour of a position you don't know yet.
## Ready to play? Today's grid is waiting, free and without sign-up. [Play Mindo](https://play.dev.siwa.io/game/mindo) ## More guides [SSBPBODM

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