GridWits

Skyscrapers techniques

21 worked examples across both variants. Standard Skyscrapers can surface 14 of them as Smart Hints; Skyscrapers+ can surface 14. Each mode omits patterns that an earlier deduction always handles first.

Easy

Naked Single

Only one candidate height remains for this cell — place it.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers and Skyscrapers+

Hidden Single

A height has only one possible cell left in this row or column, even though that cell has other candidates too.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers and Skyscrapers+

Clue of One

A clue of 1 means the tallest building is visible right at that edge — place the max height there.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers and Skyscrapers+

Full Visibility Clue

A clue equal to the grid size means every building is taller than the last — the whole line is forced into one exact order.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers and Skyscrapers+

Medium

Visible-Count Bound

At each position, leave enough taller heights behind to reach the clue's visible count — eliminate every height too tall to allow that.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers and Skyscrapers+

Line Consistency (≤4 Blanks)

Every way to fill this row or column's remaining heights that matches its clue was checked — a height eliminated here doesn't appear in any of them. Enough of the line was already filled in that there was not much left to weigh.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers and Skyscrapers+

Naked Pair

Two cells in a row or column share the exact same two candidate heights — remove those heights from the rest of the line.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers

Hard

Line Consistency Sparse (5+ Blanks)

The same line-ordering check on a line that is still mostly blank — little to anchor it, so nearly every arrangement the clue allows has to be weighed. Same idea as Line Consistency, a good deal more work.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers and Skyscrapers+

Hidden Pair

Two heights only fit in the same two cells of a row or column — strip those cells down to just those two.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers

Naked Triple

Three cells in a row or column whose candidates combine to exactly three heights — eliminate those heights elsewhere in the line.

Hidden Triple

Three heights only fit in the same three cells of a row or column — strip those cells down to just those three.

X-Wing

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

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers and Skyscrapers+

Naked Quad

Four cells in a row or column whose candidates combine to exactly four heights — eliminate those heights elsewhere in the line.

Hidden Quad

Four heights only fit in the same four cells of a row or column — strip those cells down to just those four.

Expert

XY-Wing

A cell with two candidates links to two other two-candidate cells that share one candidate each with it and one with each other — the shared height can't be in any cell both of those see.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers and Skyscrapers+

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 heights — eliminate the other height from any cell both see.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers and Skyscrapers+

XYZ-Wing

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

Swordfish

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

Smart Hint: 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.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers and Skyscrapers+

Extreme

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.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers+

Cross-Line Forcing

Same as Cross-Line Consistency, but each arrangement is also followed through: fill in every height it forces outright, and rule it out if that leaves some other row or column unfinishable.

Smart Hint: Skyscrapers and Skyscrapers+