The ‘Hidden Triples’ technique operates on the same foundational principles as ‘Hidden Pairs,’ but it involves a bit more complexity. This method comes into play when you have three cells within a column, row, or 3×3 block that share the same three candidate numbers.
The primary objective is to eliminate any other candidate numbers from these cells, thereby isolating the correct values. If you can identify such cells, the three digits within them become the primary candidates, and all other candidate numbers can be discarded.
To illustrate how the ‘Hidden Triples’ technique works, consider an example within a 3×3 block. Suppose the cells are filled with notes containing various numbers. Upon closer inspection, you notice that the numbers 1, 4, and 8 appear in three specific cells, and these numbers do not appear in any other cells within the block. This indicates that these three numbers must occupy those three cells, even if their exact positions are not immediately clear. These are our ‘Hidden Triples.’ Therefore, you can remove all other candidate numbers from these three cells, leaving only 1, 4, and 8. Now we can continue solving this puzzle using other techniques.
This method is an advanced method for experienced Sudoku players. This technique is used to eliminate the extra numbers from the puzzle. Download our free printable Sudoku puzzle books and practice more.