2-string kite
ExpertTake one digit, a row where it has exactly two places and a column where it has exactly two places. If one end of the row and one end of the column are in the same box (in different cells), the two other ends are the kite’s tails. One of them must be the digit, so the cell that sees both can’t be it.
How to spot it
- Pick one digit and find a row and a column with exactly two places each for it.
- Check that one end of each sits in the same box, in different cells.
- Remove the digit from the cell where the row of one far end meets the column of the other.
Why it works
The two ends inside the box can’t both be the digit: a box holds it once. So the row or the column places it at its far end, and the cell that sees both far ends loses it.
Example
4
2
7
6
3
8
5
3
2
8
6
9
8
6
9
3
2
4
6
3
2
8
4
3
7
8
2
6
2
8
6
9
3
7
4
6
8
2
9
5
3
1
5
2
8
3
6
1
9
4
7
3
5
4
7
8
6
2
Look at the 7s in row 3, column 2, and box 1.
Common mistakes
- Using a row or a column where the digit has three places: the link needs exactly two.
- Forgetting that the two ends in the box must be different cells.