Learn

Simple Coloring

When a digit appears in exactly two cells of a unit, those two cells form a "conjugate pair" - one is true, the other is false. Chain conjugate pairs together with two colors and you can deduce contradictions that eliminate the digit from cells that see both colors.

Advanced

How to read the grids

  • Given - clues from the starting puzzle
  • Subject - cells the technique focuses on
  • Eliminated - candidates this technique removes
  • Candidate - pencil marks shown for reference

How to spot it

Pick a digit. Build a graph of conjugate pairs. Color them alternately. If any cell sees both colors of the same digit, that cell cannot hold the digit. If two same-color cells share a unit, that color is false everywhere.

A cell that sees both colors loses the digit as a candidate.

Worked example

For digit 9, blue cells and yellow cells form a conjugate chain. The highlighted red cell sees one of each color - it cannot be 9.

Time to practice

Reading is half the work. Try a puzzle now and look for the techniques you just learned.