Naked Triple

Beginner7 min

Prerequisites: Naked Pair

Overview

Three cells in a house whose combined candidates contain at most three digits. Those digits can be eliminated from all other cells in the house.

How It Works

If three cells collectively contain only candidates from (X, Y, Z), those digits are locked. Each cell need not contain all three -- for example, (X,Y), (Y,Z), and (X,Z) is a valid triple.

When To Use It

Look for three cells in a house whose union of candidates contains exactly three digits.

How To Detect It

Select combinations of three cells in a house. If the union of their candidates has exactly 3 digits, it is a naked triple.

Visual Example

Step 1 of 9

Extending the Pair to Three Cells

A Naked Triple works like a Naked Pair but with three cells. If three cells in a house collectively contain at most three distinct candidates, those digits are locked to those three cells — no other cell in the house can hold them.

Pattern cells
Affected cells
Eliminations
Key candidates
Connections

Practice

A Naked Triple is hiding here. Use it to eliminate, then fill the cell that becomes a Naked Single.