GridWits
Medium tier Technique 6 of 11 Used by Smart Hint

Adjacent Pair

Two equal numbers side by side: exactly one of them stays, so any other copy of that number in the row or column is rejected.

How it works

  1. 1Two 7s sit side by side. Both staying breaks the duplicate rule; both rejected would touch — so exactly one of the two stays.
  2. 2Whichever one it is, the row keeps a 7 — so every OTHER 7 in that row duplicates it.
  3. 3Reject the 7 at the end of the row.
7 7 3 5 7 2 5 8 1 4 9 4 6 3 8 5 8 1 6 2 6 1 4 9 3
  • Rejected
  • Cells that establish the pattern
  • Where the conclusion lands
Next in the ladder Square of Four →

Four equal numbers in a 2×2 square can only be rejected one diagonal or the other. Tucked into a corner of the board, the choice is forced: rejecting the two cells beside the corner would seal the corner cell off, so the corner and its diagonal partner are the rejected ones.