A naked triple extends the naked pair concept to three cells and three candidates.
Understanding the Concept
Three cells in a house contain only candidates from the same set of three digits.
The cells don't need to have all three candidates - any subset of the three works.
Example: Cells with {1,2}, {2,3}, and {1,3} form a naked triple with digits {1,2,3}.
These three digits are locked to these three cells.
All three candidates can be eliminated from other cells in the house.
Naked triples are harder to spot than pairs because of the subset variations.
Examples
Full Naked Triple in Row
Three cells each contain {2, 5, 7}. These three digits are locked to these cells, so eliminate 2, 5, and 7 from the rest of the row.
Subset Naked Triple
Cells with {3,6}, {3,9}, and {6,9} - not all have 3 candidates, but together they cover {3,6,9}. Eliminate 3, 6, and 9 from the rest of the house.
Pro Tips
- •Look for cells with 2 or 3 candidates in the same house
- •Check if three cells share candidates from the same set of 3 digits
- •Remember: not all cells need all three candidates
- •Triples create multiple eliminations at once
