sudokUI › Sudoku techniques › Chute Remote Pair
Chute Remote Pair in sudoku
Two bivalue cells, both X and Y, in one chute (three aligned boxes), not seeing each other, where the three chute cells seeing neither hold no X, solved or candidate.
Why it works
The box holding those three cells must have its X in the row or column of one pair cell, which makes that cell Y. Y is removed from every cell seeing both pair cells, and X too if the three cells also hold no Y.
How to spot it
Scan each chute for two identical bivalue cells sharing no unit, then test the three chute cells seeing neither for X and Y in turn.
Worked example
Chute Remote Pair: r4c6 and r5c8 both hold 56 in one chute; 6 appears nowhere in r6c1, r6c2, r6c3, so the chute's third box must place its 6 in a row shared with a pair cell, forcing that cell to 5. One pair cell is therefore 5, so 5 can be removed from cells seeing both pair cells. So 5 is removed from r4c9, r5c6.
Practise it on a real puzzle. sudokUI generates a puzzle that needs Chute Remote Pair and takes you straight to the position where it applies. Hints draw the pattern on the board and explain the step.
In a puzzle's rating
Each time the solver needs Chute Remote Pair, the puzzle's difficulty rating grows by 110. Its class is Hard. It is needed in 1 in 12 puzzles that sudokUI generates. How the rating works.
More chains and loops
Remote Pair · X-Chain · X-Cycles (loops) · Grouped X-Cycles · XY-Chain · Twinned XY-Chains · Nice Loop · Grouped Nice Loop · Alternating Inference Chain · AIC with Groups · AIC with ALSs
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