{"id":560,"date":"2025-12-17T16:41:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T03:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesudoku.com\/blog\/?page_id=560"},"modified":"2026-07-15T11:57:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T23:57:37","slug":"xy-wing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thesudoku.com\/blog\/xy-wing\/","title":{"rendered":"XY-WIng"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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< <\/a>Back<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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How to Master the XY-Wing Strategy in Sudoku<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When even advanced strategies like the X-Wing<\/em> don’t clear the board, it is time to look for a more fluid, interconnected pattern. The XY-Wing technique<\/strong> (sometimes called the Y-Wing<\/em>) is a powerful expert-level strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By understanding the relationship between just three specific cells, you can eliminate candidates across multiple sections of the grid simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anatomy of an XY-Wing: Base and Wings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To find this pattern, you need to look for three interconnected cells that contain exactly two candidates each. These three cells share a total pool of three digits (which we can call X<\/strong>, Y<\/strong>, and Z<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with the following example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Example<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Locate the Pivot<\/strong>: First, locate a cell that contains exactly two candidates. This cell is referred to as the \u201cBase\u201d cell (or Pivot). Let’s assume its candidates are X and Y.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Find the Wings<\/strong>: Next, identify two other cells that align with the Base cell but belong to different units. These are the “Wings.”<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Check the Candidates<\/strong>: In these two cells, one of the candidates must match one of the candidates in the Base cell, while the other candidate must be present in both of these aligned cells.\n