What is the X-Wing Pattern?
When solving hard and expert Sudoku grids on the Sudokult mobile app, you will frequently encounter situations where standard row or column scanning no longer reveals immediate numbers. This is where single-candidate advanced techniques come into play.
The X-Wing pattern occurs when a candidate number appears in exactly two cells across two parallel rows, and those cells fall into the exact same two columns.
The Sacred Rule of the X-Wing
"Two parallel rows × Two matching columns = Total candidate elimination across those columns."
How to Spot It on the Mobile App
- Toggle Pencil Candidate Mode in the Sudokult app toolbar.
- Focus on a single candidate digit (e.g., candidate 7).
- Scan rows for instances where candidate 7 appears in only two cells.
- If two different rows have candidate 7 in columns 3 and 8, you have found an X-Wing!
- Eliminate candidate 7 from all other cells in columns 3 and 8.
By executing this technique in Sudokult, the grid unravels cleanly without ever taking a guess.