Double columnar (6 width pairs, w7-9) + single columnar (w10-12) + keyword columnar (w13-15)
Repeating-key lengths 8 and 13 only
In plain English: Repeating-key lengths 8 and 13 only, using two rounds of columnar transposition applied back-to-back. Every combination within the stated scope was tested (667.0 billion configurations); none produced a valid solution. Best match: 18/24 known letters. That is not a real signal: searches of this kind can reach scores this high without the right key.
This record is negative within the tested scope.
NOISE
Tier 2
How to read this record
- Verdict – ELIMINATED (ruled out within the tested scope), NOISE (nothing beyond what chance produces for a search of this size; also shown when a record stored no verdict of its own), INCONCLUSIVE (the test left candidates or options standing, or could not decide, so it does not rule the method out), INTERESTING (slightly above random, almost certainly coincidence), SIGNAL (statistically unusual, warrants investigation), or FULL MATCH (all 24 known letters correct).
- Confidence Tier – Tier 1 = mathematical proof, valid while its stated assumptions hold. Tier 2 = every possibility within the stated scope tested. Tier 3 = partially tested or sampled. Tier 4 = not yet properly tested.
- Configs Tested – How many different key/parameter combinations were tried.
- Best Score – How many of the 24 known plaintext letters the best attempt matched (out of 24). N/A means no such score could be read from this record.
- Keystream Consistency (Bean) – Whether the key values at different positions are mathematically consistent with each other. The check only holds when the known letters stay in their carved positions (no letters rearranged or removed), and the full set used here assumes the standard A to Z alphabet.
- Scope Limitations – What this elimination does not rule out.
- Configs Tested
- 667,000,000,000
- Best Score
- 18 / 24 known letters matched · high, but judged chance for this search
- Confidence
- Tier 2: Exhaustive search under stated assumptions. Does not eliminate multi-layer variants.
- Truth Tag
[INTERNAL RESULT]- Date Tested
- 2026-02-22
- Script
scripts/_infra/dragnet_v4.py
Scope Limitations
This elimination does not rule out:
- Designed to try every column order for single columnar at widths 10 to 12 and for six double-columnar width pairs (7x9, 9x7, 8x8, 8x9, 9x8, 9x9), plus dictionary-keyword orders at widths 13 to 15. No detailed run output (checkpoint or results database) is kept in the repository, so completion of the largest cases cannot be checked. Only repeating-key lengths 8 and 13 were tried. That choice came from a Bean-constraint proof (E-FRAC-35) retracted on 2026-08-24, so other key lengths are untested here. Does not cover double columnar with widths of 10 or more, or non-columnar transpositions.
Assumptions
- Columnar transposition (standard reading order)
- Repeating-key substitution (Vigenere or Beaufort) at key lengths 8 and 13 only
Related Research Questions
Reproduce
PYTHONPATH=src python3 -u scripts/_infra/dragnet_v4.py --workers 14Requires the kryptos repo, Python 3.11+, PYTHONPATH=src. Some recent scripts may not be in the public repository yet.
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