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Sudoku strategy guide

Jellyfish: four base lines, four cover lines

A Jellyfish is a size-four fish: one digit in four base rows is confined to four cover columns.

Key idea

Four placements must fill the four cover columns, so the digit can be removed from those columns outside the base rows.

See the move, step by step

Follow candidate 7 across rows 1, 2, 3, and 8.

Step 1 of 4

Reduce the grid to one digit

Jellyfish patterns are global. Filter for candidate 7 before comparing row location sets.

Four base rows

Step 2 of 4

Verify all candidates fit four columns

The base-row 7s occupy only columns 2, 3, 6, and 7.

Base rowsJellyfish candidates

Step 3 of 4

Remove cover-column outsiders

R5C2, R6C6, and R7C3 lie in cover columns but outside the four base rows, so their 7s are removed.

JellyfishCandidates to remove

Step 4 of 4

Apply only the justified cleanup

The Jellyfish candidates remain unresolved while the cover columns lose their outsiders.

Jellyfish candidatesUpdated cells

Try it on today's puzzle

Jellyfish are rare. Search only after smaller fish fail, and verify all four base lines stay inside exactly four cover lines.

Play today