THE IDEA: BUILD THE TARGET FROM THE NUMBERS
You're given six numbers and a 3-digit target. Mix the numbers together with plus, minus, times and divide until you make the target. That's the whole game. A few house rules:
- Each number, once. Use a number in a sum and it's spent — but you don't have to use all six.
- Whole numbers only. Every step has to land on a whole number, so a divide only counts if it divides exactly (no halves, no remainders).
- Never go negative. You can only take the smaller from the bigger — 10 − 4 is fine, 4 − 10 isn't.
And the trick that turns "random panic" into "oh, easy": don't try to use everything. Get close with the big number, then tidy up with the small ones.
LET'S ACTUALLY SOLVE ONE — STEP BY STEP
Here's a real Countdown: six numbers, and a target of 489. Don't stare at all six trying to see the whole answer — we'll build it one move at a time.
The starting line-up — six numbers, and 489 to aim for.
Step 1 — start from the biggest number.
The 100 is your anchor — it does the heavy lifting. Ask: "what gets me near 489?" A quick 100 × 5 = 500 shoots you just past it. Overshooting is good — it's much easier to trim a little off than to add lots on.
Step 2 — lock it in, then trim towards the target.
The 100 and 5 are spent now (crossed off), and we're sitting on 500 — just 11 above the target. So we chip away: 500 − 3 = 497. Nearly there.
Step 3 — land it exactly.
One more trim: 497 − 8 = 489 — and that's the target, bang on. Notice we only used four of the six numbers; the other two just weren't needed. That's normal — chasing "use them all" is what ties people in knots. 👻
THE METHOD, IN ORDER
Almost every target falls to the same three beats:
- Anchor on the biggest number. One operation — usually a multiply — to get into the right ballpark.
- Aim to overshoot. Landing a bit above the target is ideal — small subtractions are easier and tidier than piling on small additions.
- Trim with the small numbers. Take the gap off (or add it on) one small number at a time until you land exactly.
Can't get the exact number? In the real show, landing within 10 still scores — so a near miss is never a wasted go.
A FEW SHORTCUTS WORTH KNOWING
You don't need these to start — but they turn a slow grind into a quick win:
- Round numbers are friends. Multiplying up to a tidy 500 or a hundred gives you an easy base to add to and take from.
- Break the target apart. Is it close to a multiple of one of your numbers? 489 is near 500, and 500 is just 100 × 5 — spotting that is the whole solve.
- You don't need all six. Most answers use three or four numbers. Fewer pieces means fewer ways to trip up.
Stuck? Check your divides actually divide (no remainders), and that no step dipped below zero — those are the two rules people break without noticing.
THAT'S IT — GO DO ONE
Grab the biggest number, multiply your way into the ballpark, then trim with the little ones. The first time a messy-looking six-and-a-target collapses into three tidy little sums, you'll see why this round is so satisfying — it's mental arithmetic that actually feels like a puzzle, no clock-panic, no ads mid-solve, just you, a target, and a ghost quietly counting along. 👻