Hidden Triple
Three digits have only the same three homes. Remove every other note from those cells.
What it is
Start with three digits, not with tidy-looking cells. If each of the three digits can appear only in the same three cells of one row, column or box, those cells must hold them. Cross out every other small digit in those three cells. You still do not know which of the three goes where.
How to spot it
Stay in one row, column or box. Follow one missing digit at a time. When three digits never leave the same three cells, you found a Hidden Triple. Extra notes in those cells are only distractions.
Worked example
One observation per step: find the three digits with only these three homes, then clear the other notes.
Step 1 of 4: Look at one highlighted unit
Stay in this one row, column or box. Only the three marked note cells matter first.
Why it matters
A Hidden Triple tidies crowded notes without guessing. After the extra notes are gone, the next clear move is often visible. Think of it as the three-cell version of a Hidden Pair.
Practise now
Solve a puzzle where this technique decides the game
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from a naked triple?
A naked triple is spotted by looking at cells and their candidates. A hidden triple is spotted by looking at digits and where they can go. The eliminations happen in different places: naked triples clear the rest of the unit, hidden triples clear the three cells themselves.
Are hidden triples worth hunting for?
Only once simpler techniques are exhausted. They take real effort to find, but on expert puzzles they are sometimes the only available move.
Put it to use
Where you will meet it
Hard grids are built around moves like this one. That is where it earns its keep.
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