GridWits
Expert tier Technique 19 of 21 Smart Hint: Skyscrapers and Skyscrapers+

Cross-Line Consistency

This row or column has only a few arrangements left that match its clue — any one that leaves some other row or column with no way to finish is out, and a height used by none of the survivors can be struck.

How it works

  1. 1The 2 on the left of the second row means only two buildings show along it — the 4 at the edge, then something taller hiding the rest.
  2. 2Three fillings of that row still match: 4-2-3-5-1, 4-5-3-1-2, and 4-5-3-2-1. Its own clue can't separate them, so Line Consistency stops here.
  3. 3Try the last one. It puts a 5 in the second column and a 1 in the last, which leaves the bottom row only a 4 for both of those columns — and one row can't hold two 4s.
  4. 4So that filling is impossible. It was the only one putting a 2 in the fourth cell, so strike the 2 there.
3 5 4 2 5 3 1 2 5 1 2 3 1 4 5 2 1 4 3 4 2
  • Height ruled out
  • Relationship — The arrow shows which cells support the deduction.
Next in the ladder Jellyfish →

A height's candidate cells across four rows (or columns) line up in the same four columns (or rows) — eliminate it everywhere else in those columns or rows.