The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[snapdragon]

I'm trying to get the hang of using an x wing. Does each corner of the x in an x wing have to sit in a different 3x3?

[george-no1]

Nope. And if you think about it logically, why would it? An X-Wing works when the (filtered) candidate forms a rectangular pattern with no other possible cells for it in either the row or the column, meaning you can delete this candidate from other cells in the column or row respectively. There is even no reason why all 4 corners cannot all lie in the same 3x3 box.

G

[PaulIQ164]

Hang on -- you can't have an X-Wing with all 4 'corners' in the same box can you? I can't see how it would work. An example, maybe?

[snapdragon]

My limited brain says it stops being an x wing if all 4 are in the same box, because you no long have 2 rows (or columns) that are "sharing" the 2 digits, (though I'm not really sure what the definition is).

[george-no1]

Paul, what about the box

2 469 5
3 167 189
68 14 146

There would be an X-Wing in the 1s if there were no more possible cells for the 1s in rows 2 and 3 *or* columns 2 and 3 (obviously not both, as there would be no point in calling it an X-Wing).

G

[PaulIQ164]

Paul, what about the box

2 469 5
3 167 189
68 14 146

There would be an X-Wing in the 1s if there were no more possible cells for the 1s in rows 2 and 3 *or* columns 2 and 3 (obviously not both, as there would be no point in calling it an X-Wing).

G

But there can't be 'no more possible cells for the 1s in rows 2 and 3', surely? If the 1 in this box is in row 2, there has to be another place the 1 can go somewhere else in row 3, and vice versa if the 1 is in row 3 in that box.

[george-no1]

Oh, ok, should have thought of that before making brash statements. You're right, well done.

G