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.
The solver does not attempt this technique, so Smart Hint will never suggest it. It is documented because you may still want to spot it yourself.
How it works
- 1The pivot has {1,2,3}; its two wings have {1,3} and {2,3}. If the pivot is not 3, whichever of 1 or 2 it takes forces the matching wing to 3; if the pivot is 3, the conclusion is already true.
- 2So one of the three highlighted cells must be 3, and any cell that sees all three can remove 3 — here, the fourth cell of their shared row.
- 3Futoshiki has rows and columns but no 3x3 boxes. That means a separate target can see the pivot and both wings only when the pattern lies in one line, where these same three cells are also a Naked Triple.
- 4GridWits tries the cheaper Naked Triple first, so live Futoshiki hints normally use that name. XYZ-Wing remains useful vocabulary for recognizing the same pivot-and-wings logic in Sudoku-style peer geometry.
- 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.