As a variation of an XY-Wing, XYZ-Wing is a more advanced technique. Any cells that share a unit with all three cells XYZ, XY and YZ, can have Z eliminated from their candidates.

• If XYZ=X, then XZ=Z, so * cannot be Z. (Same column)
• If XYZ=Y, then YZ=Z, so * cannot be Z. (Same block)
• If XYZ=Z, then * cannot be Z. (Same block)

So whichever value is in XYZ, the marked cell can never be Z. Here is an example:

In the puzzle above, suppose X=9, Y=7, and Z=6. So [D5] is XYZ, [B5] is XZ, and [D6] is YZ. Based on the analysis above, the candidate 6 can be eliminated from the candidates in cell at [F5].

There is another variation for XYZ-Wing pattern.

All cells marked with the asterisk can have Z eliminated from their candidates. For example:

In the puzzle above, suppose X=2, Y=5, and Z=4. So [B2] is XYZ, [B9] is XZ, and [C3] is YZ. Based on the analysis above, the candidate 4 can be eliminated from the candidates in cell at [B1].

To quickly get familiar with this technique, let's see more examples:

See Also:

• What is Sudoku: rules, history and terminology
• Sudoku Strategies
• Direct Elimination Techniques
• Candidates Elimination Techniques
• --> Naked Single Technique
• --> Hidden Single Technique
• --> Intersection Removal Technique
• --> Naked Pair Technique
• --> Naked Triplet Technique
• --> Naked Quad Technique
• --> Hidden Pair Technique
• --> Hidden Triplet Technique
• --> Hidden Quad Technique
• --> X-Wing Technique
• --> XY-Wing Technique
• --> Swordfish Technique
• --> WXYZ-Wing Technique