GridWits
Medium tier Technique 3 of 46 Used by Smart Hint

Pointing Pair/Triple

All of a digit's candidates in a box line up in one row or column, so it can be eliminated from the rest of that line.

How it works

  1. 1The whole top-left box is drawn here. Inside it, digit 3 survives only at A1 and C1 — and both sit in row 1.
  2. 2Nothing cheaper reaches these cells first: no cell is down to one candidate, and every missing digit in the box and in row 1 still has at least two homes.
  3. 3One of A1 and C1 has to take the box's 3, so no other cell in row 1 can be 3 — strike it from D1 and G1.

Play a Sudoku that needs this technique →

A 1 B 2 C 3 D 4 E 5 F 6 G 7 H 8 I 9 3 4 2 7 3 8 2 3 6 1 9 3 6 7 5 4 6 8 2 4 6 7 9 5 1 2 4 6 8 6 7 8 3 3 3 3
  • Cells that establish the pattern
  • Where the conclusion lands
  • Candidate ruled out
Next in the ladder Box-Line Reduction →

All of a digit's candidates in a row or column fall inside one box, so it can be eliminated from the rest of that box.