Ready to put the W-Wing into action? This page is designed for you to practice and master W-Wing with positions from real Sudoku puzzles.
Every board above is a position from a real puzzle where the W-Wing is the next step. Tap the candidates it removes (or select a cell and press the digit) and press Check. If you’re stuck, Show me gives the answer and Next puzzle loads another. Want to watch one first? Switch to Worked example.
Quick Reminder: What is a W-Wing?
A W-Wing uses two cells with the same two candidates, say {x, y}, that don’t see each other. If a strong link on x (a house where x has only two places) has one end seeing each cell, then one of the two cells must be y. Any cell that sees both of them can lose y.
Want a full step-by-step guide? Read the W-Wing technique article
How to Practice
- Find two cells with the same two candidates that are not in the same house.
- Look for a strong link on one of the digits that connects them, then remove the other digit from cells that see both.
- On the board, tap each of those candidates to remove it.
- Press Check. On your first try you see how many you found; on the second, the ones you missed get a dashed ring.
Start Practicing on Full Puzzles
Once you can find the W-Wing on most boards without pressing Show me, take it into a full game. Expert puzzles are where this technique starts to come up, and the step-by-step solver will name the technique each time you get stuck.