A naked pair is when two cells in a house contain exactly the same two candidates and nothing else.
Understanding the Concept
When two cells in a row, column, or box have only the same two candidates, those two digits must go in those two cells.
Therefore, these two candidates can be eliminated from all other cells in that house.
It doesn't matter which digit goes where - they're locked to those two cells.
Example: If two cells both have only candidates {2,7}, then 2 and 7 can't go anywhere else in that house.
This is called "naked" because the pair is fully visible - the cells contain nothing else.
Naked pairs can exist in rows, columns, or boxes.
Examples
Naked Pair in Row 0
R0C2 and R0C5 both contain exactly {3, 8}. These two digits are locked to these cells, so we can eliminate 3 and 8 from all other cells in row 0.
Pro Tips
- •Look for cells with exactly 2 candidates
- •Check if another cell in the same house has the same 2 candidates
- •The pair "claims" both digits for themselves
- •Often leads to naked singles in other cells
Practice Exercise
Find the naked pair! Look in the highlighted area for two cells that share exactly the same two candidates.
