GridWits
Expert tier Technique 15 of 20 Used by Smart Hint

W-Wing

Two cells share the same candidate pair and aren't in the same row or column, but a chain elsewhere forces one of them to one of those values — eliminate the other from any cell both see.

How it works

  1. 1The opposite-corner cells at row 1 column 1 and row 4 column 4 share the pair {1,2}, but they do not see each other.
  2. 2In row 2, the two highlighted cells are the only places for 1. The left one sees the first {1,2} cell; the right one sees the second. Exactly one link end is 1.
  3. 3Whichever link end becomes 1 forces the {1,2} cell it sees to become 2. So at least one endpoint is 2, and the top-right target — which sees both endpoints — cannot be 2.
1 2 2 3 1 3 1 4 1 2
  • Candidates this technique rules out
  • 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.
Next in the ladder XYZ-Wing →

A three-candidate cell links to two two-candidate cells whose combined candidates match it exactly — the shared value can't be in any cell all three see.