Pointing Pair

Level: Basic

When a box's candidates for a number align in one line, remove that number from the rest of the line outside the box.

A Pointing Pair (or Pointing Triple) occurs when, within one box, all candidates for a specific number lie in the same row or column.

That means the number must go in one of those cells within the box, so you can eliminate it from any other cells in the same row or column that lie outside the box.

It doesn't confirm a number directly, but it narrows down candidates elsewhere, often leading to a Naked or Hidden Single — an important linking technique.

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