No clock
At your own pace
Play one try now and the next one a few hours later.
- Closes
- After 48 hours with no move from anyone.
How to play Picas y Fijas
Picas y Fijas is a two-player deduction game, known in English as Bulls and Cows and closely related to Mastermind. Each player hides a secret code and the first to crack their opponent's code wins. It is free and runs in the browser, with nothing to install.
The basics
Your opponent hides a code. You propose codes and every try comes back with a clue. Whoever cracks the other’s code first wins.
Fija (F)“Fixed”: in the code and in the right spot.
Pica (P)“Present”: in the code, but in another spot.
NothingNot in the code.
An example
Secret code4271
Your try4793
1 fija 1 pica
- The 4 is in the right spot: a fija.
- The 7 is in the code, but in another spot: a pica.
- The 9 and the 3 are not in the code.
In a game you only see the totals — “1 fija, 1 pica” — never which digit earned which clue. That is where the deduction begins.
Color codes work the same way: colored pegs instead of digits, and every color also has its own shape.
The duel
The classic game: two people, two secret codes and one try per turn.
- Create the gamePick the rules and your secret code. You get a 4-character game code and a link to invite someone.
- Your opponent joinsFrom the lobby, with the code or with the link, and sets their own secret under the same rules. The first turn is drawn at random.
- Take turns guessingEvery try gets its fijas and picas. You can go back to the lobby whenever you like: the game stays open.
- First to crack the code winsIf the player who opened the round cracks it, the other gets one last try to tie. With an attempt limit, if nobody cracks it, it is a draw.
The creator sets the rules
Mode
Numbers 0–9 Colors: 4, 6 or 8
Positions
3 4 5 6
Repeats
Allowed Not allowed
Tries
No limit 6 10
Clock
No clock Per turn Time bank Correspondence
All four explained in the next chapter.Visibility
Public Private
A private game only opens with its code.Codes at the end
Hidden Revealed
Notebook
No notebook With notebook
A grid to mark symbols as ruled out or confirmed, plus a warning when a try contradicts your own clues.Don’t feel like choosing? Random game draws the rules for you. You can have up to 3 games open at once.
When it ends
Your cardThe result, your tries, the time and the points you take home.
ShareA grid of your clues that gives away no code.
How it played outEvery try gets a grade — optimal, solid or wasted — and the move that decided the game is flagged.
RematchSame rules, same opponent, new codes.
The clock
Four ways to keep time. It is chosen when the game is created and applies to both players.
Per turn
30 s 60 s 2 min
The clock starts over on every turn.
- At zero
- A missed try is recorded and the turn passes to your opponent.
- Pause
- Yes: the clock stops if someone goes back to the lobby, and there is a manual pause of up to 5 minutes.
Time bank
3 min 5 min 10 min + 3, 5 or 10 s per move
Like chess: each player has a bank and only the bank of whoever is playing runs down.
- At zero
- You lose the game.
- Pause
- None. Both players need to be there from start to finish.
Correspondence
1 day per move 3 days per move
For playing without being online together: we tell you when it is your turn, with a notification or by email.
- At zero
- A missed try is recorded and the turn passes to your opponent.
- Pause
- None: the deadline keeps running even if you close the game.
The server keeps the time. Changing the clock on your device does not buy a single second. The clock starts once both players are in.
More modes
There is not always an opponent free. That is what these four are for.
The arena
3 to 8 players One code No turns 6 or 10 tries
The server draws the code and everyone attacks it at once. You see the live standings — tries used and best number of fijas for each player — but never anyone else’s tries. Whoever cracks it in the fewest tries wins. The host starts it, with at least 3 players.
No season points. Winning it earns the “First arena” badge.
Code of the day
4 digits, no repeats 8 tries Once a day
The same code for everyone. It changes at midnight UTC. The day’s standings rank by tries and then by time. When you finish you can share your grid without revealing the code.
No season points.
Puzzles
72 puzzles 3 levels No clock
We give you the clues from a game you did not play: deduce the only code that fits. With an account, what you solve follows you to any device, and completing a level earns a badge.
Playable without an account too.
Practice
Solo Against the computer Offline
The same rules as a duel, with nobody to wait for. The computer has three levels — easy, normal and expert — and explains every move it makes.
No account needed, no effect on the ranking.
Points and ranking
The ranking does not sort by wins: it sorts by points. Every duel hands them out when it ends, based on how hard it was and how soon you cracked the code.
10for the win
+
0–14difficulty
+
0–12economy
What each ending is worth
- You win by cracking the code10 + difficulty + economy
- You draw4 + half the difficulty
- You lose1
- You abandon0
- You win because your opponent abandons6
- You win without cracking the code: your opponent’s time bank runs out10 + difficulty
A loss is worth 1 and abandoning 0: walking away is never cheaper than finishing.
Difficulty: 0 to 14
It comes from how many different codes the rules allow, and it goes up if you accept pressure:
- 3 digits, no repeats · 720 codes6
- 4 digits, no repeats · 5,040 codes7
- 6 digits with repeats · 1,000,000 codes12
- With an attempt limit+2
- With a per-turn clock or a time bank+2
Correspondence adds nothing: it gives days, not pressure. The cap is 14.
Economy: 0 to 12
It rewards cracking the code early. Count your tries:
tries to crack the code
An example
You win a game with 4 digits, no repeats, on a per-turn clock, and you crack the code on your fifth try.
- Win
- 10
- Difficulty5,040 possible codes (7) + clock (2)
- 9
- Economy5 tries
- 4
- Total
- 23 points
Seasons
This seasonThe calendar month, in UTC. On the 1st everyone starts from zero.
All timeThe total of all your games. It never resets.
Each table shows the top 50 and your own position, wherever you are. On equal points, whoever has more wins goes first, and then whoever has played fewer games.
What earns no points
Practice Puzzles Code of the day The arena
Only duels against another person score.
Badges and profile
Twelve badges, earned by how you play, not by how much.
First winWin your first game.
Solved in 4Crack a code in four tries or fewer.
Five seconds leftWin with five seconds or less on the clock.
Expert rulesWin by cracking a code under rules of difficulty 12 or more.
First arenaCrack an arena code before everyone else.
Ten winsWin ten games.
Fifty winsWin fifty games.
Seven days in a rowPlay seven days in a row.
Easy puzzlesSolve all 24 easy puzzles.
Normal puzzlesSolve all 24 normal puzzles.
Expert puzzlesSolve all 24 expert puzzles.
Every puzzleSolve all 72, across the three levels.
New ones show up on the end card of the game that earns them, and your profile shows all twelve: the ones you have in color, the rest dimmed.
Profile, rivals and history
Public profileTap a name in the ranking or among your rivals: points, games, wins, streaks, favourite rules and badges. Never the email.
RivalsWho you have played, the score between the two of you, who is online and a button to challenge them to a rematch.
HistoryYour last 40 games, with filters, and your numbers: win rate, average tries and streaks.
And more
Good to know before your first game.
Do I need an account?
To play against other people, yes: an email, a name and a 4-to-8-digit PIN. The account is activated by opening the link we email you, valid for 3 days. Without an account you can practice and solve puzzles. If you forget your PIN, an emailed link resets it.
What happens if I leave a game?
Going back to the lobby neither deletes nor abandons it: it stays among your games. Abandoning does end it: your opponent wins and you get 0 points. Whoever created a game can cancel it while it is still waiting for an opponent, at no cost.
How long does a game wait?
A public game waits 2 hours for an opponent; a private invitation, 48 hours. A game in progress closes after 48 hours without activity, except correspondence games, which follow their own deadline.
How do I talk to my opponent?
There is a general chat in the lobby and a private chat in every game. The nudge tells your opponent it is their turn, and the quick reactions — Good luck!, So close!, Nice move!, Good game! — take a single tap.
Can I watch other people’s games?
Yes: from the lobby, any public game in progress. You see the tries, the clues and the clock live; never a code, not even at the end. The game chat can be read, not written to.
Will it tell me when it is my turn?
With the game open, with sound and vibration. With the game closed, through notifications if you turn them on; on iPhone they only arrive once the game is installed on your home screen. How to install it
Made it to the end? You already have an advantage.
Discover strategies for every game type.
Download the strategy guide (PDF)
Discover strategies for every game type.
Download the strategy guide (PDF)