STUVWXYZ-Wing

Level 11 · Red Belt

Strategy:

Requires:

Overview

STUVWXYZ-Wing is the largest wing pattern, using eight cells with eight combined candidates. This is the theoretical maximum for the wing family in a 9x9 Sudoku.

How It Works

Find eight cells whose combined candidates use exactly eight digits.
A pivot cell connects to seven wing cells.
The one restricted candidate must be in the pattern.
Eliminate it from cells seeing all relevant pattern cells.

Example

Look for STUVWXYZ-Wing.

Sudoku grid showing the initial puzzle state for Look for STUVWXYZ-Wing.

1

STUVWXYZ-Wing

Found a 8-Y-Wing pattern. The pivot cell R7C6 has candidates connected to a 7-cell wing group.

Sudoku grid illustrating step 1: STUVWXYZ-Wing — Found a 8-Y-Wing pattern. The pivot cell R7C6 has candidates connected to a 7-cell wing group.

2

STUVWXYZ-Wing

The wing cells R1C5, R2C4, R2C5, R2C6, R3C4, R3C5, R3C6 form an Almost Locked Set with the pivot.

Sudoku grid illustrating step 2: STUVWXYZ-Wing — The wing cells R1C5, R2C4, R2C5, R2C6, R3C4, R3C5, R3C6 form an Almost Locked Set with the pivot.

3

STUVWXYZ-Wing

This is a 8-Y-Wing (also known as STUVWXYZ-Wing) - the shared candidate is eliminated from common peers.

Sudoku grid illustrating step 3: STUVWXYZ-Wing — This is a 8-Y-Wing (also known as STUVWXYZ-Wing) - the shared candidate is eliminated from common peers.

4

STUVWXYZ-Wing

One of the 8 cells must contain 7, so eliminate from cells seeing all pattern cells containing it: r1c6.

Sudoku grid illustrating step 4: STUVWXYZ-Wing — One of the 8 cells must contain 7, so eliminate from cells seeing all pattern cells containing it: r1c6.

5

Result after applying the technique.

Sudoku grid showing the result after applying the technique

Tips & Patterns

STUVWXYZ-Wings are the theoretical limit of the wing technique family.
In practice, these are vanishingly rare and primarily of academic interest.