GridWits
Easy tier Technique 1 of 11 Used by Smart Hint

Adjacent Triple

Three equal numbers in a row: only one may stay, and rejected cells can't touch — so the two ends are rejected and the middle is kept.

How it works

  1. 1Three 2s sit side by side in the top row. At most one of them may be kept — so at least two must be rejected.
  2. 2Rejected cells can never touch, and the only way to reject two of three consecutive cells without touching is the two ends.
  3. 3Reject both end 2s and keep the middle one.
2 2 2 5 7 6 4 9 8
  • Kept
  • Rejected
  • Cells that establish the pattern
  • Where the conclusion lands
Next in the ladder Sandwich →

A cell between two equal numbers is always kept — rejecting it would force both neighbors to stay, and they'd duplicate each other.