Sudoku solving technique · Intermediate
Naked Triple
Three cells whose candidates add up to only three digits.
What is a Naked Triple?
When three cells in the same unit contain candidates from the same set of three numbers (and nothing else), those three numbers are locked into those cells. You can remove them from all other cells in that unit.
How to spot a Naked Triple
Look for three cells in a unit whose candidates together cover only three different digits. Not every cell needs all three: 1 and 2, 2 and 3, and 1 and 3 also make a Naked Triple. The three digits are shared among those three cells, so you can remove them from every other cell in the unit.
- Difficulty
- In Sudoku Pro, this technique belongs to the Intermediate level.
- Learning path
- Technique 7 of 20 on the learning path
An example from the app
| Pattern (purple). Candidates 1, 2 | Pattern (purple). Candidates 2, 3 | Pattern (purple). Candidates 1, 3 | Affected cell (orange). Candidates 4. Eliminated 1 |
| Given 4 | Empty | Empty | Given 2 |
| Empty | Given 1 | Given 4 | Given 3 |
| Given 3 | Given 4 | Given 2 | Empty |
Small digits are candidates. Crossed-out digits can be removed in this step.
- Pattern (purple)
- Affected cell (orange)