The daily numbers game
Numbers
Six numbers drawn at random, one target between 100 and 500. Find the route. One draw a day, the same for everyone, included with membership.
The rule
You combine the numbers two at a time with the four operations — add, subtract, multiply, divide — to close in on the target. Each number is used once, but every intermediate result becomes a new number you can use. Divisions must come out exact and no negative result is allowed.
The daily draw is always solvable exactly: there is at least one route to the exact target, and it never needs more than three operations. That is a deliberate choice — a daily pleasure rather than a competition. If you don't land exactly, your distance from the target counts: getting close matters too.
A few habits that help
- Start from the target, not the tiles. Ask which product comes close — most short solutions rest on one multiplication, then adjusted by a few units.
- Manufacture a small number. Subtracting two nearby tiles often gives you exactly the top-up you were missing.
- Don't chase the exact answer too long. Landing two away beats abandoning the draw.
At the end of the game
We reveal two solutions: the shortest one, needing the fewest operations, and then — when it differs — the route our solver found. Nothing is given away before the end; only the draw itself is visible while you play.
The other games of the day
- The round of the day — spot the hidden mistakes in a text read aloud.
- Mystery Word — a word in six tries.