Sudoku Strategy: Naked Pairs
Naked Pairs happen when two cells in a unit (row, column, or box) have exactly the same two candidates — and only those two. These two numbers must belong to those two cells, which means they can be eliminated from other cells in that unit.
How It Works
If you see two cells with only {4, 7} as possible values, and no others in that unit have those exact candidates, then you know 4 and 7 are locked into those two cells — just not sure which is which (yet).
Example
In a row, two cells are limited to 3 and 8. That means you can remove 3 and 8 as candidates from the rest of the row.
When It's Useful
- Great for reducing clutter in harder puzzles
- Unlocks other strategies by narrowing options
Practice Naked Pairs
Next strategy: Check out X-Wing — it's like magic once you see it.