Intermediate upgrade
Naked Pairs, Triples, and Quads: Clear Candidate Clutter Fast
When two cells share the same pair of candidates, every other cell in that unit can’t contain them. Spotting naked sets is the bridge between easy and medium Sudoku difficulty. Use this walkthrough plus the Pure Sudoku grid to practice live without losing streak progress.
Identify naked sets in 4 steps
- Scan a row, column, or box for repeated candidate groups.
- If two cells contain the same two candidates, strike those digits from the rest of the unit.
- Apply the same logic to triples (three cells, three numbers) and quads.
- Re-scan for fresh hidden singles or pointing moves triggered by the eliminations.
Candidate highlighting in Pure Sudoku makes this faster: type notes, tap a digit, and watch where it appears in the unit. Anything outside the naked set is gone instantly.
Interactive play-by-play
Watch naked pairs clear a column
Follow the animation to see how matching candidates fence off a column and unlock a clean single.
Step 1
Spot the repeated pair
Column 2 has the exact same candidates (2 and 8) in two cells. That locks those digits into that column.
Step 2
Delete blocked candidates
Every other cell in the column loses 2 and 8 instantly. The bottom cell collapses to a single 4.
Step 3
Finish the column with certainty
With 4 placed, each partner in the pair resolves. No guesswork, just fast eliminations.
Step 1 of 3
Sample drill for medium boards
- Open the daily medium puzzle.
- Limit yourself to naked sets until at least five numbers are placed.
- Switch to pointing & claiming once the board loosens up.
Track how many eliminations each technique delivers. The data shows which tactic you should review again.
Pair these tactics with
- Hidden singles to finish easy puzzles without mistakes.
- X-Wing once rows and columns start mirroring candidates.
- XY-Wing to punish overstuffed pencil marks.