GridWits
Expert tier Technique 12 of 46 Used by Smart Hint

XY-Wing

A pivot cell and two "wing" cells, each sharing one candidate with the pivot, corner a shared digit out of any cell both wings can see.

How it works

  1. 1A1 is the pivot with candidates {1, 2}. E1 shares its row and candidate 1 (plus a 3); A5 shares its column and candidate 2 (plus that same 3).
  2. 2If A1 is 1, E1 can't be 1, so it must be 3. If A1 is 2, A5 can't be 2, so it must be 3. Either way, one of the wings is 3 — eliminate 3 from E5, which both wings can see.

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 1 2 1 3 2 3 3 6 1 2 1 3 2 3 3
  • Cells that establish the pattern
  • Where the conclusion lands
  • Candidate ruled out
Next in the ladder W-Wing →

Two cells with the same candidate pair, linked by a strong chain on one digit elsewhere on the board.