Compound Comparison
A cell below several different cells in its own row or column must leave enough larger values for all of them; the same counting works above several cells.
How it works
- 1The middle cell is smaller than two different cells in its own row.
- 2Those two cells must contain two different larger values, because a Futoshiki row cannot repeat a number.
- 3On a 5×5 board, a 4 has only one larger value available. It cannot leave two distinct larger values for its neighbours, so remove 4 from the middle cell.
- 4The same count works upside down: a cell greater than two cells in one line cannot be 1 or 2.
- Candidates this technique rules out
- Smaller → larger — The arrow follows the direction imposed by the inequality sign.
- Cells read together — The connecting line shows which cells combine to make the deduction.
- Conclusion — The coloured candidate, or the final arrow when it lands outside the pattern, shows the result.