Naked Pair
Level: Intermediate
When two cells share the same two candidates, remove those numbers from the rest of the unit.
A Naked Pair occurs when two cells in a unit have exactly the same two candidates. For example, if both cells have only {3,7} as candidates,
those two numbers must go one in each of these two cells, so you can eliminate 3 and 7 from every other cell in the same unit.
It doesn't confirm a number directly, but it substantially narrows candidates, often revealing a Single next — a classic intermediate technique.
Related Techniques
Intermediate
Hidden Pair
When two numbers can only go in the same two cells of a unit, remove the other candidates from those cells.
IntermediateNaked Triple
When three cells share a pool of three candidates, remove those numbers from the rest of the unit.