Swordfish

Hard

What is it?

A Swordfish is the 3-row extension of an X-Wing. A candidate appears in at most three cells in each of three rows, and those cells span exactly three columns. The candidate can then be eliminated from all other cells in those three columns.

When to use it

After checking for X-Wings, look for a candidate that appears in two or three positions in each of three rows, with all positions falling in the same three columns.

Why it works

Each of the three rows must contain the candidate once. With positions limited to three columns, the three placements fill all three columns. The candidate cannot appear elsewhere in those columns.

Interactive Demo

13469
5
8
3469
3467
5
7
1
1346
3456
2
3467
7
1
2
12369
12356
23567
4
8
6
1346
8
12356
2356
7
4
8
23469
8
1
3567
234567

Let's find a Swordfish. We focus on digit 6 and look for three rows where 6 appears in positions spanning exactly three columns.

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