Junior Exocet

Extreme

Two base cells and two target cells with a special constraint: base candidates must appear in the targets.

How It Works

Junior Exocet (JE): Two "base" cells (usually in the same row and box) and two "target" cells (specific positions in different boxes) have a special relationship.

Every digit in the base candidates must appear in at least one target cell. This constraint allows eliminating non-base candidates from the target cells.

Extremely rare and one of the most complex techniques.

Example

137
137
2485469
254
1357
97685
968345
1347
26
3954612
49
8
47
39
12
38
639
6349
58
6957
24
58
759
48
63
586
49
765
38
4
47
95863741
Key cells of the techniqueCells where elimination is appliedCandidate to be placedEliminated candidate (crossed out)

Base: R1C1,R1C2={1,3,7}. Targets: R2C4, R3C7. → Eliminate all candidates from target cells that are not in {1,3,7}.

Practice with a Real Puzzle

This 9×9 puzzle is solver-verified to require this technique on its solution path.

Expert25 givens