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XYZ-Wing

Wings

How it works

A Y-Wing whose pivot carries three candidates instead of two: a pivot holding X, Y and Z with pincers X-Z and Y-Z that it can see. Z now has to land in one of three cells rather than one of two, which makes it harder to spot and narrows the payoff — only a cell seeing all three, pivot included, can have Z eliminated.

Try it

Look at Row 4, Column 6, Row 4, Column 7, and Row 6, Column 6 — a three-candidate pivot and two cells it can see. Let's pencil them in, then see why 3 can't survive where all three overlap.

Tap each of Row 4, Column 6, Row 4, Column 7, and Row 6, Column 6, then tap every digit that's still possible there — check what's already used in that cell's row, column and box. Press "Check my work" when you're ready.

Between them Row 4, Column 6, Row 4, Column 7, and Row 6, Column 6 carry only three digits, and two of those can be used just once each across the set. Three cells can't be filled from two digits, so 3 has to take one of them.

Which means 3 can be crossed out of every cell that sees all three.

Tap a highlighted cell, then tap its red digit on the pad below to cross it out — the highlighted cells show why it can't go there.

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3
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