{"id":626,"date":"2025-12-18T11:39:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T22:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesudoku.com\/blog\/?page_id=626"},"modified":"2026-08-20T16:48:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T04:48:46","slug":"wxyz-wing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thesudoku.com\/blog\/wxyz-wing\/","title":{"rendered":"WXYZ-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 WXYZ-Wing Strategy in Sudoku<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

As Sudoku puzzles reach the highest difficulty levels, candidate reduction patterns expand to involve larger groups of cells. A WXYZ-Wing is like an XY-Wing and an XYZ-Wing, except it involves a group of four cells, with one cell sharing a unit with the other three.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By identifying this four-cell chain, you can unlock stubborn grids and erase locked candidates with absolute mathematical certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Structure of a WXYZ-Wing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To spot a WXYZ-Wing, you need to find four interconnected cells<\/strong> that share a combined pool of exactly four candidate digits (which we label W<\/strong>, X<\/strong>, Y<\/strong>, and Z<\/strong>):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider this example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"WXYZ-Wing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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  1. The Pivot (Base Cell):<\/strong> Contains candidates (4, 5, 7 and) and sits in a spot where it shares a row, column, or block with the other three cells.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The Three Wings:<\/strong> Each wing cell contains a subset of these four digits (5, 9) – (7, 9) – (4, 9)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. The Common Digit:<\/strong> One specific digit \u2014 in our example, the value 9<\/strong> \u2014 is present in all four cells of the pattern.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Because of how these four cells interact within the unit, it is impossible to fill the board without placing the number 9 in one of these four spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Therefore: One of these highlighted cells must contain the value 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    \"WXYZ-Wing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    The Elimination Rule<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Because any of the four cells (including the Pivot) could end up holding the number 9, the value 9 can\u2019t be placed in any cell that sees all the highlighted cells at the same time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83d\udccd Where Exactly Can You Erase Candidates?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    For an empty cell to “see” all four cells of a WXYZ-Wing simultaneously, it must sit at a specific geometric intersection:<\/p>\n\n\n\n