Naked Triple
Three cells in a unit share just three candidates between them, so those digits are removed from the rest of the unit.
Rule
Three cells in a unit whose candidates together are {x, y, z} → remove x, y, z from the rest of the unit.
Find three cells sharing three digits
In box 1, the three cells r1c3, r2c2 and r3c2 contain only candidates from 1, 6 and 9: three cells, three digits. No cell needs all three; it is enough that together they hold exactly three digits.
The idea
The naked pair extended: three cells, three digits. The digits x, y, z must fill these three cells, so there is no room for them elsewhere in the unit.
The common trap: no cell needs to have all three candidates. {1, 4}, {4, 8}, {1, 8} is a valid naked triple, because together they hold only 1, 4 and 8.
The general rule: N cells in a unit whose candidates together are exactly N digits lock those digits into those cells. With N = 4 you get a naked quad, which is rare.
How to spot it
- Find cells with 2–3 candidates in the same unit and try grouping them in threes.
- Units with many empty cells but a few "poor" cells are worth a look.
Common mistakes
- If the three cells together hold four digits, it is not a naked triple.
- All three cells must be in the same unit.
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Related techniques
References
The examples on this page are generated from random puzzles, not taken from these sources.