Medium technique · Technique Academy

Naked Pair

A naked pair is two cells in one unit that share the same two candidates and nothing else. Between them they must use up those two digits.

Professor Cryptic, the owl who teaches in the app
Professor Cryptic is thinking

The reasoning

Why does the Naked Pair work?

Since the pair claims both digits, no other cell in that row, column or box can hold either one. Strike them from the neighbours' notes.

A worked example

What does the Naked Pair look like on a real board?

Naked Pair worked exampleA sudoku board with pencil marks. The Naked Pair uses R2C4, R2C8 and digits 2, 9 (row 2). The move strikes candidates 2 in R2C1, 9 in R2C1, 2 in R2C2, 9 in R2C2, 2 in R2C3, 9 in R2C3.82962937415237923579259291462982941856329742929573186517628934683491752393595974286116438527927278169543
The move strikes candidates 2 in R2C1, 9 in R2C1, 2 in R2C2, 9 in R2C2, 2 in R2C3, 9 in R2C3. Digits 2, 9, row 2.
  • Cells that form the pattern
  • Cells that lose a candidate
  • Struck digit: ruled out

Make it stick

How can you practise the Naked Pair?

The Technique Academy in Cryptic gives every technique its own lesson and 5 practice boards that need exactly this move.

Get it onGoogle PlayPlay Cryptic on the web

Further reading: HoDoKu's page on this family of techniques.

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